The Incredible Miniatures Of Young C. Park

Intricate. (Via)

Young C. Park is a formerHawaiian dentist/current hobbyist who decided to dedicate his spare time to model making. A safe and quiet way to spend one's time, considering Mr. Park is around 77 years old and retired. Everything so far sounds like a pretty common retiree activity, until you get to see the actual models Mr. Park has built over the years. I mean, the level of detail is beyond the realm of credibility. When I first saw the pictures I thought that the planes were  mock ups or pictures of full scale engines and fuselages, but boy I was wrong.

If you're a detail freak, like most hobbyists worth their salt are prepare to be amazed. After the break,  a selection of images of some truly incredible aluminum WWII planes recreated in 1:16 scale. Enjoy!

The Interview By Kixeye - Taking A Stab At Social Gaming

During my time in Silicon Valley I witnessed a culture of never ending competition, startups and acquisitions while working a brief stint at a tech company. What else is Silicon Valley known for? The birth of of social gaming, a field which has generated plenty of controversy for the gaming industry as a whole, especially with the ruthless focus on the bottom line: Money over everything, including gameplay and originality.

Kixeye, one of the companies in the field trying to change that stereotype just released this video poking serious fun at all the other competitors and company personalities out there. The most obvious target of their ire being Zynga, dubbed as 'Janka.' I haven't played their games on Facebook, but if their amazing website is any indication of the types of games these guys make, I'm pretty damn impressed. Their Command And Conquer flavored 'About' page is pretty damn incredible.

The Art Of TwitchFinger

Battle Cleric (Via)

TwitchFinger, aka Adrian Majzrak is currently working on that unannounced Bungie title following a stint at CCP that lasted nearly four years. During his time with the company he had a chance to contribute to Dust 514, EVE Online and the upcoming Cthulhu filled World Of Darkness. He's got some amazing scifi work, and what's even more amazing is that he started his game career as a QA tester at EA back in 2002 before transitioning into concept art.

And yes, I know the image I chose for the header isn't quite scifi, but more of one of his rare fantasy pieces that he cranks out from time to time. If you want to check out the full extent of his abilities, check out more of his work after the break!

Paranorman Olympic Spots

These awesome mini ads for Focus Features' upcoming Paranorman were created to tie in to the ongoing summer Olympics, featuring zombies doing their best imitations of popular sports. The movie is just a few weeks away (August 17th), so this was definitely a clever tie in to help market the movie to a broader audience.

If you haven't a chance to see the full trailer yet, head on over here to check it out! after the break. Check out the zombie freestyle dive ad after the break!

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

Good Tuesday, and Happy Not-quite-mid-week-but-I'm-already-over-it Day! With lots of exciting stuff currently happening behind the scenes here at AwesomeRobo HQ, we're in need of a break. A desperate need. Preferably in the form of a vacation, but because that isn't going to happen, we'll take kittens and puppies.

As always, more after the break!

Avengers Olympics 2012!

(Via)

How are the Olympics going? Despite the fact they are happening in my country I've never been a sports person. I watched 20 minutes of the opening ceremony, saw James Bond being wacky with the Queen and went back to watching the Daily Show. Though if you could combine another popular franchise with the Olympics, wouldn't you rather mix them with the Earth's greatest superheroes?

This selection of work by Deviantart user Scargeear is a look at the Avengers sports sequel I would be invested in. Avengers at the Olympics does seem slightly unfair, though.....But who is doing what event? See after the break!

Money Bunny Blues

Student animator Ellen Coons created this stop motion short for Cartoon Brew's Student Animation Festival, about a very interesting rabbit and his unique monetary, um, abilities. With the stop motion described as "quirky and whimsical", it has that endearing quality of imperfection that we love. Add to that, the slightly bizarre aspect, and we have ourselves a pretty damn good short. As someone who is half asleep on a Monday, I can appreciate it that much more.

Kuratas - Your Very Own Million Dollar Mech

Codename: Kuratas

Ah, it's about time that a Japanese company would finally offer a 13 foot, 4 ton mech at the modes starting price of 900,000 pounds ($1,412,370). The mech, codenamed 'Kuratas' is is being offered by Suidobashi Heavy Industries and is fitted with armor plating, a harmless water powered 'Lohas' rocket launcher and BB pellet firing gatling guns, triggered by smiling. Wait, what?

'The Kuratas can be controlled either through the one-man cockpit or from the outside using any smartphone connected to the 3G network. The robot, has around 30 hydraulic joints which the pilot moves using motion control. As it is made to order the style conscious buyer will not have to worry about sticking to the grey exterior – it comes in 16 colours, including black and pink, and for an extra £60 they will sort you out with a cup holder.'

The company has released two videos, featured below covering an intro and general overview as well as a 'How To Ride' Kuratas. You can also customize and piece together your own mech on the Suidobashi website, although it's already down due to being hammered all morning. Check out the videos below, and start saving up!

Liars - Brats

This truly demented video for the excellent track 'Brats' from Liars new 2012 album, WIXIW. The music video, directed by Ian Cheng is a demented, somewhat disturbing glitched out retelling of the classic Bug Bunny and Elmer Fudd feud. Turns out that the rabbit doesn't always win.

18 Awesome Thai Film Movie Posters

Total Recall

Remember our 70 Bootleg Movie Posters, courtesy of traveling movie shows in Ghana? There was something fascinating about seeing how different countries interpreted various movies in the US with a lack of official movie posters, using hand painted recreations to advertise the films being screened.

Once again we've stumbled into a veritable archive of amazing movie posters, this time from Thai movie theaters. I have to say that compared to the movie posters from Ghana though, these hand painted creations are masterpieces in comparison. All the posters seem to be characterized by a pastiche of iconic visual elements and scenes from the movies, with the film's main protagonists typically dominating the compositions. The colorful, bright and sensationalized micro-industry of Thai movie posters have become a part of the nation's cultural heritage, and I can definitely see why. Check out 17 more amazing movie posters after the break!

The 8-Bit Olmypic Games

This fine pixelated ode to the Olympics by Flikli covers over 35 different disciplines, ranging from archery to water polo, complete with a fitting Commodore 64 era soundtrack. There's nothing like an 8-bit sports montage to get you out of the house on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Naoki Araiza Demo Reel

FX Animators are the essential guys behind animating all the explosions, debris, weapon effects, spells and environmental effects in various mediums, and Naoki Araiza is one of these talented specialists. His recent demo reel goes into his work for the fantastic looking Wakfu, an animated series we've covered before that has unforunately never made the jump to Western Shores.

Check out his reel to get a taste of just how well animated this TV series is, featuring a quality bar that is nearly feature length. Naoki won't have any trouble finding a job with a reel like this, I'm guessing.

Mega64 Proves Dead Space Is Still Scary

Did you guys hear about the EA report which stated that Dead Space games are just 'Too scary?'A lot of talking has been happening with the fans of the Dead Space series and one question has been asked to death: Will the game remain scary despite the many changes EA have revaled about the third installment in the series?

As always, the Mega64 crew explore this very question in a satirical way and point out the exact reasons I'm not looking forward to this game, yet at the same time making fun out of both sides of the argument. We gamers do nitpick and complain about the lamest things but the addition of coop multiplayer? Resident Evil 5 had pretty bad AI, so let's hope Visceral Games can put this game together better than Capcom.

Sight

With the advent of augmented reality technology like Google Eye, we may someday live in a world in which we no longer see through our own two eyes, unfiltered. Not that it's a bad thing, I'm pretty excited about the possibilities that such a technology may bring to us, as showcased in this mini thriller by Eran May-raz and Daniel Lazo. The impressive scifi short showcases the upsides and terrifying downsides if we ever get to the point where we sign our own power of sight over to companies in exchange for some aug capabilities.

I wouldn't be surprised if these guys get their high level concept picked up by a Hollywood studio, because the visual fidelity and concept these guys accomplished is pretty impressive. Especially impressive considering that it was a graduation 'thesis' film at the Bezalel Academy Of Arts.

Boulet's Animated 7 Deadly Sins

Greed

French comic artist Boulet animated a simple black and white series illustrating each of the Seven Deadly Sins. They're graphic in that fun cartoon-like way, with some more to the point than others. On a lazy day like today, I find myself particularly gravitating towards Sloth, with a small inkling towards Gluttony (fooooood). Which one are you feeling the most?

Check out the rest after the break!

Pacific! - The Gaze/Voyager

Trippy. Pacific's new music video, which is broken up into a 2 part narrative is a little hard to describe, although I get the feeling it was created with that exact intention. The only thing I was thinking the entire time was that it looks like Empire Of The Sun has already started to inspire groups, which isn't a bad thing at all.

A prophet like figure falls from the stars and turns a peaceful population of animal headed creatures on each other, before resetting the harmony that existed before his arrival. The retro synth perfectly fits the odd 80's b-movie tone of the music video. Enjoy.

Headless Productions Animation Reel

Headless Productions, the same folks behind animated awesomeness like 'My Family And The Wolf' just recently released their awesome reel, showcasing what they've been up since their 2010 debut in 2D and 3D mediums. I'm still patiently awaiting the return of the 2D animated film, and I hope to see these guys at the forefront when it happens. Check out their production blog for a ton of goodies!

Chicks And Mechs By RD7

GRS #5 (Via)

Sometimes you get awesome mech concepts, sometimes you get great paintings of females, but rarely do you get both juxtaposed in slightly surreal compositions. Much to everyone's joy though the artist known as RD7, a Shanghai based concept artist currently working at Gameloft has brought these two worlds together, and the results are nothing short of awesome.

If you're looking for a scifi fix today, look no further than after the break to get an amazing spread of stylish scifi chicks and mechs!

Cloud Atlas

Based on the 2004 novel of the same name, Cloud Atlas is a science fiction story involving 6 different storylines, all set in a different time in history.  In what appears to be a highly intricate plot about how all our lives are woven together, this film looks like it might possibly be a mind blowing experience.  Or mind numbing; it remains to be seen.  The 5 minute long extended trailer shows a lot of what's going on, without really giving too much (if anything) away. US release date is October 26, 2012.

The Hawken Web Series Trailer

I guess it would be hard to consider Hawken an indie series after this revelation, but it looks like Adhesive Games' cross media strategy for their title is starting to show it's true colors. The mention of a 'Hawken virus' in the trailer is the first mention of a plot point we've seen so far.

The upcoming Hawken web series, which is being created in collaboration with Warner Premiere and director Jeremiah O' Flaherty (Gears Of War) will flesh out the universe even further sometime in 2013. Chalk it up as yet another exciting development from the folks over at Adhesive, and we're looking forward to finding out if there's a movie plan in the works, as it's been widely rumored.

Retirement Plan

Israeli artist Matan Yaniv created this animated short for his graduation project from the Shenkar College of Design. It tells the story of an International Intelligence Agency that puts into effect a very unique form of 'retirement.' In a style that seems like a cross between grindhouse and film noire, the art is simple and dark, with a few bursts of bright contrast colors. Check out Yaniv's reel on his website to catch a glimpse of some of his other work!

The Humble Music Bundle

After a successful run with funding the indie games scene, the Humble Bundle returns with a slightly different approach: The sound of music.

If you donate any amount of money you'll get a selection of albums from a number of artists: Christopher Tin, They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot, and Hitoshi Sakimoto have assembled their best cuts for your listening pleasure. And if you pay more than the average price, you'll also receive OK Go's Twelve Remixes of four songs! It's an interesting twist in the formula, with the money split between the artists and two charities (this time around Child's Play Charity and the Electronic Frontier Foundation) so why not dig deep for a few beats?

Falling By Adriano Ciruli

Adriano Cirulli's beautiful piece about falling endlessly is a mesmerizing experience accomplished via digital post effects, choreography and experimental musical compositions. It's a piece that begs for personal interpretation rather than having any clear meaning, an experimental exploration of movement and abstract interactions that will puzzle, surprise and entrance you.

The Mystical Art Of Justin Cherry

The Lost Prince Of Hyrule (Via)

Justin Cherry's work kind of reminded me of Keith Thompson's work for the fact that along with his concepts, he typically adds a synopsis to give notes about the backstory of his characters and designs. This approach allows John to let viewers get a more fleshed out idea about his work and thought process. Whereas most artists choose to keep this aspect about their creative process to themselves, I kind of appreciate that Justin gives us a look into his world, and mind.

Justin's work has a mysterious, cloudy, dreamlike vibe to it, with plenty of experimentation at play. I've selected a few pieces from his portfolio for you guys to check out after the break, but if you wan't the full story you should head over to his website!

Hawken - Mech Painting By Khang Le And John Park

Adhesive Games just released this video of a mech painting demo created by Khang Le and John Park during the recent Comicon as part of a Wacom event. I was pretty amazed at the process, which used the Photoshop equivalent of kitbashing, using painted photos of mechanical objects to ground the mechs in reality. If you're into painting, this is an amazing example of a painting process unique to an artist (John Park during the mech segment).

If you haven't had a chance to check out our interview with Adhesive's Art Director, Khang Le about his visual choices for Hawken, you can check it out here!

Exclusive - Planetside 2 Blur Cinematic Trailer

The MMOFPS genre has been dormant for years now, and despite many attempts to create titles that would tap the genre many have been unsuccessful (Webzen's HUXLEY comes to mind). Close to a decade after the release of the original Planetside, the advent of a new era of persistent, massive scale combat is upon us.

This cinematic trailer created by Blur has just been released to give players a taste of things to come, and as we've become accustomed to expect from the company, it looks pretty damn incredible. Planetside 2 will be entering beta within the next few months and offer a 3 faction persistent war for players, so stay tuned for more updates.

The Illustrations Of Gerhard Human

Suspect 2 (Via)

'Skateboarding Is A Crime' was part of a fundraiser project where all the money collected from the auction of these 15 hand printed illustrations went towards the development and construction of skate parks in South Africa. Gerhard's skater series are part of a pleasantly hefty portfolio full of visual goodness, neatly organized and well documented. Anyone get some Hergé (TinTin) vibes from his visual style?

We strongly recommend you pay him a visit here. In the meantime, enjoy some highlights of Skateboarding is a Crime after the break. Enjoy! 

Muscle Hawk - Electric Light

When a young girl finds a portal in her brother's room, she's transported to a true party of the future, filled with an entire ensemble of characters from around the universe, both alien and human. If you're a Mass Effect fan, keep an eye out for the Asari cameo. If you liked 'Discovery' era Daft Punk, you'll probably dig this tune. Stay tuned to more updates about their album release on the official Muscle Hawk Facebook page! 

Eric Wareheim Backs Black Moth Super Rainbow And So Should You

Being a long time Black Moth Super Rainbow fan, I find it hard not to post their newest Kickstarter endeavor. I find even more difficult when Eric Wareheim jumps on the bandwagon to promote it, so here I am; posting it for all of you. Black Moth Super rainbow is probably one of the most original bands to come out in years, and their progression as a band continues to impress me. It's a little sad when bands as good as BMSR lose their label, but it gives them opportunities like this to self publish.

If you wanna check out some of their music before you donate head on over here. Their new tracks are sounding super awesome. If you like what you hear, then head on over to their Kickstarter and give them any support you can.

Suckablood - A Short Fairytale Horror

UK-based Bloody Cuts is a short horror story anthology series, and one of their latest shorts is the fairytale horror Suckablood. Telling the story of a young girl who has a nasty and outgrown habit of sucking her thumb, until her mean (and rather old) mother puts a curse on her in an effort to cease the bad habit. The horror style is definitely mostly about the "build up"; the scary part is the tension, and not any one particular moment in itself. Definitely give this a watch; I personally did not see the ending coming.

Olympic Vermin

With the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay making progress throughout the UK, Beakus Animation Studio and animator Leo Bridle created this fun little animated short, showcasing some of the more overlooked characters out about town. From squirrels to pigeons, the animal kingdom made it their mission to do their own Torch Relay. That is, torches made from cigarettes and other such disposables.  Can't blame them for wanting to be involved, in their own special way.

Louis Vuitton X Gundam

Gundam Astray : Louis Vuitton Edition

Deep down inside, I kind of wanted to believe this awesome collab was a reality, bringing an iconic anime series together with one of the world's most recognizable high fashion brands. It's not quite that, but an amazing 'what if' project created by a high level Korean gundam hobbyist known as 'Suny Buny.'

Using a Gundam Astray model kit as a base model, Suny did an amazing work on the detailing and color aspect, bringing in the iconic colors which have defined the Louis Vuitton brand for decades. Rich, reddish browns, golden accents and the iconic LV logo adorn this fine custom from head to boosters. I'd totally buy this, put it next to my Lego Rolls Royce replica, and admire it while sipping my $3 champagne. Check out more pics of this beauty after the break!

The Volgarr Kickstarter Is Pretty Awesome

The return of the hardcore arcade sidescrollers is upon us! While browsing through Kickstarter (We support projects from time to time) I ran into the Volgarr project by two folks from Kirkland at Crazy Viking Studios, a 2 man outfit comprised of handheld videogame veterans. Their goal? To bring people a modern game from the golden age of arcade gaming, when titles truly challenged gamers and the feeling of overcoming that boss was truly rewarding.

If you're feeling generous, I'd definitely recommend throwing a few bucks these guys' way. I mean, with a collectors edition that looks like this, complete with the faux-Sega Genesis feel you can definitely tell this is a project they've poured their heart and soul into. Check out their Kickstarter here.

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

Pretty much speaks for itself. DEM PAWS. (Via)

After a super busy day, nothing's better than some pictures of puppies and kittens. Well, actually having one would be better. But you don't get one (me neither), so you'll have to settle for the pics. This week's Cute Mixtape, though late in the day, has arrived!

Take a breather, and check out more cute goodness after the break!

The Art Of Tahra

Concealed. (Via) 

Tahra, aka Kyoung Hwan Kim is a South Korean freelancer for the videogame industry with a massive portfolio, a ton of experience and a great style to boot. What I've always loved about South Korean visual designers is their style, which I've always defined as a beautiful mix of Asian aesthetics with European influences.

Tahra's work ranges from painterly illustration to videogame style concept work, so check out more of his stuff after the break!

Wizard Wars

This was actually a really cool premise, perhaps the advent of DIY game shows on Youtube? 2 teams of magicians get an hour to create original magic routines. However, here’s the catch: The routines must incorporate four secret props (chopsticks, beach balls, erasers, fake oranges, etc.). After the hour is up, the magicians will perform their tricks before a panel of judges. Only one team can win. They called it: Wizard Wars.

Fata Morgana

Dutch animator Frodo Kuipers hand drew this wonderful animated short, Fata Morgana, which means "mirage". A lemonade stand owner out in the middle of the desert becomes desperate to drink his last bottle of lemonade, when some poor schmuck finds himself dragging through the desert in his direction. Ever the ambitious salesman, he holds out and waits for this "customer". In an ironic twist of fate, the lemonade salesman finds himself stuck, worse off than before. Kuipers also heads Studio Mosquito, check out the rest of their work!

Le Mans Classic 2012

Stoic. (Via)

These amazing images were captured by French photographer Laurent Nivalle during the Lemans Classic 2012, a grueling nonstop 24 hour race featuring classic supercars. With 450 cars participating in teams of 5 for the endurance event, the race is considered as a chronicle of racing history for aficionados of the sport.

On a side note, does anyone remember when they attempted to make videogames for LeMans? Those didn't sell so well, and it's not so hard to see why. Check out 7 more beautiful retro graded images from Nivalle's portfolio after the break!

Space Shower TV Idents

Space Shower TV is a Japanese produced equivalent of MTV which was spun up within the last few years, and as part of that formula they've also created a ton of idents for their channel. The 30 to 45 second mini ads were created by a huge range of Japanese talent, including Hiroto Kato of the recent Lupin reboot.

I went through all of them and picked out five more idents showcasing just how wide they went with the initiative, featuring everything from pop art and 3D to stop motion and anime flavored shorts. Check them out after the break, and take a second to grieve over what MTV has unfortunately become here in the US.

Merci Satan - Detective God

In this slick pilot episode of Detective God, Jérémie Périn interprets the phrase of 'unforgiving yet merciful god' in a rather interesting manner, showcasing the religious conundrum of entering the world guilty of the 'original' sin committed thousands of years ago (Thanks Adam). If you liked it, you'll just need to wait a few thousand years while earth repopulates again for season 2.

Super-Villain Rex Velvet Vs Make A Wish Foundation

Remember Rex Velvet? Well, in true super villian fashion, the self-proclaimed real life super villain operating out of Seattle who has pitted himself against what he considers to be the 'silly nerds' of the real-life super-hero community has acted in one of his greatest acts of villainy: kidnapping Blitz, the Seattle Seahawks mascot.

Though all isn't as it seems. Rex Velvet is foiled by Agent C, a twelve year-old hero who teamed up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation in order to stop a super villain and have 'probably the best birthday anybody is ever going to get.' Colby, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy as an infant, was granted the wish by the foundation which involved orchestrating a series of clues for Agent C to track down across Seattle, resulting in a helicopter ride and the capture of Rex Velvet after a silly string battle, all viewable in the video. The fact that Rex Velvet, an outspoken super villain, has done more for society than most out the so-called 'superheroes' in the movement is pretty cool. Unless it's all part of the evil plan, I really want to see more of Velvet!

The Art Of Evol

(Via)

Evol is a street art advocate versed in graffiti, illustrations, and above all, stencil art. Sadly, his homepage seems to be a little out of date, with almost no recent updates. Nonetheless the content available is more than enough to display the array of projects Evol developed over the years, a strange and enticing mixture of miniaturized architecture installations inspired by found objects, and spray paint.

After the break, a few select pieces from this talented fellow. Enjoy!

TRIP Launch Trailer

Trip kind of reminded me of Journey, if it had collided into a truck filled with abstract shapes, colors and rythms. The title, which was coded in Unity by Alex Shokk has been described as a 'Surreal abstract exploration experiment' by it's creators, which means no enemies or objectives, just exploration.

The game is finally out, so if you're looking for a new experience just head over to meltme.be/trip to purchase your one way ticket into the bizarre, colorful, disturbing world of Trip.

Wildebeest

For today's fun animated short, we bring you UK-based Bird Box Studio's Wildebeest.  A group of wildebeests come to the edge of the river and decide to cross. The two main wildebeests have a disagreement over what's in the water: Something that's other potentially fatal, or completely harmless. In this mini tale over being right and wrong, sometimes it's best not to let a stubborn nature force us to prove ourselves.

The Master Theatrical Trailer

With only three months to go until this movie's release date, I'm glad to finally have a theatrical trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's latest work since 2007's excellent 'There Will Be Blood.' The movie features the return of Joaquin Phoenix to the big screen following a hiatus lasting over 2 years and a charismatic leader called 'Lancaster Dodd' (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who sets up his own religious movement, or 'cult' in the 1950's.

The Master is looking absolutely incredible, featuring the ever haunting score of Johnny Greenwood. Considering the troubled movie landscape this year, it would be nice to get one solid movie on the books. The movie has already started to generate controversy with the group it's supposed to be loosely based on, Scientology. So much so that Paul Thomas Anderson has had to screen it for the likes of Tom Cruise to assuage their concerns. Initial reports seem to state that he wasn't thrilled with what he saw, so let's wait and see. You can check out the movie poster after the break.

Man of Steel - Teaser Trailer

If you've already seen The Dark Knight Rises, then you are probably already familiar with the teaser trailer to Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. In an age where super hero movies abound, only a few seem to turn out magnificently. Even when they're rebooted only a few short years after the previous reboot. While Zack Snyder has been hit or miss (I'm looking at you, Sucker Punch), this trailer is fairly intriguing. Going down a seemingly different path, making Clark Kent/Superman look a little rougher, a little more, dare I say, human? Only time will tell. We can't wait for the full trailer.

PSY - Gangnam Style

I've never heard of the Korean artist known as PSY, but this music video was too awesome not to share despite the language barrier. As the title track of his 6th album (PSY6甲) following a 2 year hiatus, it's been described by PSY himself as having 'strongly addictive beats and lyrics, and is thus certain to penetrate the foundations of modern philosophy.' We're doing our part to help it penetrate modern philosophy by sharing it, so enjoy.

The Man With The Iron Fists - Red Band Trailer (NSFW)

Written by RZA and Eli Roth, comes this badass looking film, The Man with the Iron Fists. Set in feudal China, RZA (yep, the writer, starring actor, AND director of the film) plays a blacksmith who must come to the defense of villagers. The movie also stars Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, and Dave Bautista, who I might mention, looks particularly awesome as 'Brass Body.' This martial arts film has some gnarly and creative looking weaponry, as shown in this obviously NSFW red band trailer. Announced back in 2008, the film was filmed from 2010-2011 and will finally be released in the US on November 2, 2012. Goddamn, it looks amazing.

History Of The iPhone

Well, the title is pretty self explanatory. In 4 minutes Headsping Media,the guys behind this video delivered a very thorough history covering the design, technology, and numbers concerning the ongoing phenomenon of the iPhone phenomenon. Neat work with some truly slick presentation.

Scary Smash: Joss Whedon Saves The World!

Joss Whedon has become a household name. Whether you enjoyed him from Buffy, Firefly or one of many cult fuelled franchies he has been responsible or being the director of the third most successful movie of all time, people have been waiting to see what is his next project would be. Who knew that his first post-Avengers project would be a youtube film of the director heading up a SQUAT team and taking on a giant monster that takes seven days to defeat?

The video comes from "Scary Smash," the first episode of Written By A Kid, a new web-series from Felicia Day's YouTube channel and created by Will Bowles & Josh Flaum. The two sit down with 5-year old Brett who tells us a story of a big scary monster, a milk truck, a S.Q.U.A.T. team leader named Gerald that might seem a little familiar. It's certainly a tough situation, but I think the man who successfully got Captain America, Thor & Iron Man working together can handle the situation!

Johann Sebastian's Joust

One of my favorite parts about PAX is the PAX 10, a collection of the 10 best independent games showcased at the expo. I've never been disappointed with it and this year doesn't look to be any different. One of the most unique games being showcased this year is Johann Sebastion Joust, a "no-graphics, digitally-enabled playground game for 2 to 7 players, designed for motion controllers such as the PlayStation Move." Instead of using a screen to play the game, players must keep their controller still as they attempt to push over opponents. The faster the music gets the faster one can move, but the tricky part comes with the frequent changes in tempo. Games like this really push the medium forward and I can't wait to get my hands on it, it looks ridiculously fun.

Hot Chip - Look At Where We Are

Danny Perez's interpretation of the smooth synthpop track by Hot Chip nearly felt like a found footage music video initially, but I realized how well it fit the soul searching tone message of the track after a few minutes. In the video, a mad scientist experiments on a girl's soul and finds abstract memories and psychedelic imagery before things go awry. It's a chill track, and the music video is definitely left very open to interpretation. The track is from their newly released album, 'In Our Heads.'

The Instruments Of Robot Repair

This awesome video showcases just how many instruments Robot Repair, a studio/music house dedicated to creating music for commercials, TV, film and more have in their repertoire. It's a pretty awesome ad showcasing just how versatile these guys are, with these guys possessing just about every musical output device under the book in a digital and analog sense. I especially loved the circuit bent and hacked together equipment. If there's a sound you're looking for, you'll probably find it with these guys.

Bhavri

In this lovely personal piece, animator Sonia Tiwari created this animated short for her graduate thesis at the Academy of Art University. She based the story around her real-life experience of releasing a balloon with a message for her late grandfather when she was a child, who passed away before she was born; her hope being that he would reply from heaven. With warm, vibrant colors, and beautiful designs, the short feels like a happy piece. Even with a somewhat bittersweet tone.

A Fresh New Batch Of Jon Foster Art

Spirit (Via)

For some reason I find Jon Foster referred to over and over again as a concept artist, but I fail to see how he garnered that title. I kind of prefer 'master illustrator' or 'walking art deity,' which would be names more fitting for an artist at his skill level. His images to me have always told a story, sparked the imagination and inspired, with a beautiful, rich style that could only be classified as his.

With an insane amount of awards under his belt, including a countless number of awards and accolades from various institutions like Spectrum and clients including National Geographic, Dark Horse, DC, Tor Books, Scholastic and many, many more. I was really happy to see this new batch of images, so check out more of his beautiful recent pieces after the break!

Supermercado By Fernando Huck

Supermercado is an interesting video showcasing Huck's public exploration of overt consumerism, a system that encourages purchasing more goods and services, in ever increasing amounts. Using a cacophony of sounds from supermarkets around the world, the experimental audio score accompanies the unsettling transformation process of the artist into his interpretation of a grotesque product of excess perfectly.

Friends With You - Cloudy

With Hump Day pretty much over, we're in need of a silly, mindless break. I decided to dull my midweek pain with this cute animated short by FriendsWithYou. With no real story, it's just a glimpse into the life of cartoon-y clouds and raindrops. Reminiscent of Care Bears and other unoffensive, simple animations of my childhood, I feel a bit more at ease. Take a moment and just chill the hell out with this fun clip. Then get back to work. 

Digitalism - Falling

Digitalism's new music video for Falling was a strange trip, reminiscent of hazy mornings watching PBS back in the day. It's an awesome new offering from the German electro duo, an enjoyable retro tinged offering to get the blood flowing at work. Digitalism's 'DJ-Kicks' EP is now out, so check it out.

Rhys Owens' anthropomorphic portraits

Welcome to the jungle. (Via)

Rhys Owens is a Welsh illustrator/ designer that doesn't quite have an extensive portfolio, but is a defacto example of the quality over quantity saying. Crisp, detailed illustrations and a balanced color palette make his animal/man portraits lavish and moderate at the same time. The Gorilla enforcer is my personal favorite, check it out along a slew of other portraits after the break!

Denis Medri's Steampunk Spiderman

Steampunk Peter Parker (Via)

Italian comic book artist Denis Medri returns yet again with an alternate dimension take on Spiderman that I totally would have paid money to see on the big screen. Calling on elements of Victorian era steampunk, Medri redesigned Spiderman and a good chunk of the more memorable villains, and the results turned out awesome in my opinion.

I still haven't had a chance to see the Andrew Garfield Spiderman reboot, partially due to the fact that I'm not terribly interested in supporting a reboot just five years after the last movie. If you're going to do such a reboot, why not actually try to stand out from the shadow that the original movie is still casting? More steampunk baddies after the break!

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

"OH HI GUYS, WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" (Via)

Oh hey, what's that? You need something cute and adorable to look at for a few minutes? The internet has it's fair share of cat pics (and then some), but you've kindly stopped by and decided to take a gander at my offerings. You are wise. Time for a mental break, and check out this week's Cute Mixtape!

OPPOSOM - Blue Meanies

I admit, as soon as this music video started I reached for my 3D-glasses only to be sorely disappointed. Lack of 3D aside, this music video for OPPOSOM's Blue Meanies is a fantastic blend of 70's-esque cinema and amazing animation accompanied by a chill Summer track. I always feel like there's a lack of this filming style and I'm always happy to see it used. If you want more OPPOSOM music, check out their bandcamp here, they've got some really chill and awesome music.

The Epic And The Beats

Sebastian Linda's skate video is easily among one of the best I've ever seen, simply for the little excerpt that came with it that gave it an all new meaning that struck home with me: 'When we were kids we never dreamt of being a firemen, a pilot or superhero. We always wanted to be skateboarders, jumping up curbs, down the stairs and flip our boards as many times as we could. This has not changed until today.'

The video captures the childlike wonder of people who never gave up on what they believed in, and it's an incredibly uplifting piece as a result. Never give up on those dreams readers, keep believing.

Olly Moss & Mondo Offering A Dark Knight Rises Poster For Everyone

(Via)

I have one Mondo related poster. Tim Doyle, former artist for Mondo, did a very limited run of prints for a showing of Kevin Smith's Clerks and the amount I had to pay for the piece would shock you. It's the one complaint I have about Mondo art; the pieces are so limited that you have to be as fast as the Flash to get one of the amazing posters because they sell out within seconds of going on sale. Which is why I appreciate what they will be doing on Wednesday for the premiere of Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight Rises.

Mondo is giving every person in the world (literally) a chance to get one. From 12:01 a.m. CST Wednesday July 18 until 11:59 p.m. CST, if you go on Mondo’s site and order the poster you will get one, no questions asked. Olly Moss’ Dark Knight Rises poster will be a 16 x 24 inch screen print of the image above. So if you've ever wanted to own a piece of Mondo art for the most anticipated film of this year? This is your chance!

Ninja Scroll Burst - The Sequel That Never Was

On the recent Japanese Bluray rerelease of Ninja Scrolls, buyers got an unexpected bonus in the form of a trailer for a supposed sequel that never made it past the pilot stage dubbed 'Ninja Scrolls Burst.' The critically acclaimed classic 1993 anime paid homage to Futaro Yamada's famous Ninpocho (Ninja) novels, with plenty of amazing duels between supernatural swordsmen, incredible violence and beautiful animation, a staple of Mad House studios. Even though this trailer didn't quite capture my imagination as much as the original, it's still cool to see what could have been. Check out the trailer for the original Ninja Scrolls after the break! And if you choose to watch it, remember: Subtitled, not dubbed.

#DIRTYLAUNDRY (The Punisher returns)

Let us all come together in a collaborative agreement that the 2004 Punisher film was pretty awful. Thomas Jane wasn't at fault, in fact he nailed Frank Castle's persona in my eyes, it was the lack of a coherent story and motivation for The Punisher to continue his murderous rampage that soured the movie. Fast forward to 2012 and looks like Tomas Jane might be given a second chance to reprise his role as Castle. This 10 minute short is f*cking fantastic, with all the dark gritty violence you could ever want. Bring us more like this Marvel and you've got another set of blockbuster movies on your side. Judging by the cast I wouldn't be surprised if this was marvel's attempt at gauging interest for a resurgence of The Punisher.

Fingers crossed.

The Art Of Sam Bosma

Caravan. (Via)

Sam Bosma is an absolutely amazing 25 year old illustrator based out of Maryland, with a client list that could be best defined as dizzying. From MTV to The New Yorker, he's worked for just about every big name out there and I can see why. His work kind of reminded me of a more eclectic and colorful mix of Moebius and Matt Rhodes, with some Japanese influence as well, especially in the image above.

I really found his saturated color schemes and subject matter really uplifting, with an overall upbeat vibe that will definitely put a smile on your face, and provide inspiration. With a ton of illustration and sequential work up his sleeve, I'm looking forward to see where Sam's burgeoning career will take him. Check out more of his work after the break!

Pepe Deluxé - Go Supersonic

Loved the presentation on this music video, which walks a fine line between cheesy late night retro ad and a chirpy retro homage to the era of Hi-fi. It's campy, it's incredibly fun and wonderfully executed as a concept. I absolutely need a Nexus, as I wouldn't mind figuring out what dark secrets lie in section 9. If this hits the spot, head over to the Pepe Deluxe official Soundcloud for more goodness!

OZO

From some very talented students at French school Supinfocom comes the charming animated short OZO. Ozo is a monkey-like creature-thing Who has his egg stolen by a crazy ostrich. He goes on a fun little journey in an attempt to retrieve his beloved egg. On a dreary, tiresome Monday morning like today, this whimsical and colorful animated short is just what we need. The students at Supinfocom never cease to amaze us. If you want to check out more info about this adorable short, check out the website!

Black Sands

I'm a sucker for vast landscapes, there's something about them that complete captures my attention. The idea of something being so vast yet uninhabited by humanity blows my mind. This short film shot in the Mojave desert is downright rad and visually stunning to boot. With an awesome track by The Glitch Mob I found myself completely zoned out by the end of the short.

Deadpool: The Game

Unfortunately I wasn't able to make to San Diego Comic Con this year (hopefully next year?) but I was still able to sit back and enjoy the announcements. One of the biggest surprises happened to be Deadpool: The Game, which was originally teased as being a Hit Monkey video game. I'm not as big of a fan of the more recent Deadpool's shenanigans but that doesn't stop me from being ridiculously excited for this game, despite the lack of gameplay. Here's hoping High Moon Studios can work some magic in the Deadpool universe, but honestly, I'd still really like that Hit Monkey game.

INFOGRAPHICS OF THE FUTURE

I just came across this interested infographic/interactive design project. The deleted city is the joint effort of Richard Vijgen and The Archive Team, a full fledged archeological research concerning the now defunct Yahoo website service, Geocities.  This kind of thing, this boundary breaking- cross discipline project is truly an amazing gem, a culmination of the internet phenomenon. These guys took a 650 gigabyte file encompassing all of Geocities and transformed it into a minimalist map with an easy to use interface. Internet archaeology at its finest, and that Beck midi cover sure spiced things up.

Sigg Jones And Supinfocom

Supinfocom is a French computer graphics university that has produced in a short span of years a hefty amount of talented animators and 3d visual artists. This is partly because of the course catalog and thesis format,  which typically consists of a 3 to 5 year period in which the students go straight into production from day one for a 3d animated short that becomes their equivalent of a final thesis. How cool is that?

Benoit Berthe's Je M'appelle Nathan (the video right before this post) is part of that program, as well as Sigg Jones, another Supinfocom short that oozed style and pure edge. Though not as new as Berthe's video, Sigg Jones was fleshed out form the collaboration between Douglass Lassance, Jonathan Vuillemin and our old favorite Matthieu Bessudo, yes, the same McBess we all like so much.  On a side note, I really enjoyed the whole branding thing, kind of suprised this didn't make it as an official Nike, Adidas or Puma advertising. Wasted opportunity on their part much?

Gigamesh - Dont Stop Ft. Jana Nyberg

I wasn't expecting to see David Carradine when I loaded up Gigamesh's latest music video (From his latest 'All My Life' EP), but I was pleasantly surprised to see him take the route a lot of indie have been taking lately for quick and easy music videos. In this particular example, the movie in question is Death Race 2000, a cult classic film from the 70's starring Sylvester Stallone and Carradine that went on to inspire a very famous (and controversial videogame series) called Carmageddon. If you need a reminder about what that vehicular manslaughter simulator entailed, the series reboot just got funded on Kickstarter recently. Good times, great tune.

Je M'Appelle Nathan

Benoit Berthe sent us this amazing first 3D short that he created at the French visual arts school Supinfocom called 'My Name Is Nathan.' The protagonist finds himself dealing with the troublesome voices in his head, with a visual style and story treatment that would probably put a smile on David Lynch's face. I kind of liked the subtlety of it, with Benoit choosing to focus on the protagonists interactions with the origami bird rather than his environment.

Check out the making of, and the poster for the short after the break!

Oz: The Great and Powerful - Trailer

There are a select few franchises/stories that I will forever be faithful to. As I'm sure I've mentioned many times before, the Oz franchise is high up on the list. When I heard about this prequel, I don't know how many months ago, I became instantly enthused, and have been on the lookout for still photos, trailers, ANYTHING. Just in time for San Diego's Comic-Con, Sam Raimi's Oz: The Great and Powerful trailer has been released. Visually, it looks pretty damn awesome.

Otherwise, it's a bit of a mystery to me. While I like the main actors (James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, etc.), I worry about having so many fairly big names in one film. It's a move that, in my opinion, has a so-so success rate: The thought behind that being, "Oh, let's just throw in a bunch of popular actors in there and not worry about it, people will still flock to see it." Perhaps I'm paranoid, and because I know it's not necessarily always the case, I sure as hell know where I'll be March 8, 2013 for my Oz fix.

Rrrrrrrroll_GIF

Umbrella (Via)

Roll_Gif is a Tumblr project created by a group of Japanese folks to experiment with the concept of circular motion. Using both gif and cinemagraph formats, the exploration is a surreal journey into tunnels, abandoned looking Japanese cities and natural landscapes. The cinemagraph format gives pieces like 'umbrella' above an even more unsettling feel, by freezing the right side of the portrait while the left side retains motion. Some more samples from the series after the break, and a ton more via the link!

Dog Bites Traffic

A few well known facts: Dogs love sticking their heads out of moving cars, they typically love biting things, and occasionally frequently have a tendency to derp-out. Much to our amusement. Add it all up, and you have Border Collie Abbey, whose persistent and amusing habit of 'biting' passing cars on the highway gives us our short and silly clip of the day. Akin to biting the dog in the mirror, poor little Abbey just doesn't quite get it. Hopefully no one tells her what's up.

The Shins - It's Only Life

The Shins' sentimental new music video for 'It's Only Life' captures the spirt of imagination and innocence in a Calvin and Hobbes-esque style treatment by the director, Hiro Murai. In the meanwhile, James Mercer of the Shins gets slowly dragged off into the wild by a series of shadowbeasts, the same fate that every inhabitant in the town seems to have encountered. It's a deceptively uplifting sounding track, and I appreciated the nods towards Studio Ghibli, especially with those shadow creatures.

Vow by Bridget Underwood

In this beautiful animated short, a mother gives up her life to protect her young daughter. The daughter, in turn, makes it her mission to see vengeance. With a sad twist of fate, the short is ultimately about how far someone can go for a loved one. With some apparent Lion King influences, up-and-coming animator Bridget Underwood created a lovely, heartfelt piece. Check out some of her other work on her website!

Ad Lucem

In this visually stunning animated short, a vampire wanders outside in the night and comes across a beautiful flower. Enchanted by it, he decides to stay outside a little longer than a vampire should.  The title, Ad Lucem, is latin for "to the light", if that gives you a better idea. While the story is fairly simple, it's the theme and art of the light that is so captivating.  Created by French animator Ghislain Avrillon.

The Vectorized Portraits Of Cranio Design

Wolf (Via)

Cranio Design is the artistic outlet for Alejandro Garcia, a Valencia (Spain) based illustrator with a vector based flair. His pieces tend to be heavy on the symmetry, yet his usage of portrait style shots and striking color choices make his work hard to look away from.

Alejandro has also experimented with a variety of mediums, including papercraft, logos and toy design. Check out more of his work after the break!

OBEN

Created by Thierno Bah, Noé Giuliani, Pierre Ledain and David Martins da Silva, Oben simultaneously chronicles the past and present of a man's journey between life and the confines of death. Using a truly unique narrative structure mixed with some very clever transitions, the short emphasizes both the ambition and frailty of man. The simple looking, yet beautifully animated angular style worked hand in hand with the somewhat abstract story. And it leaves just enough to the imagination to leave you wondering at the end. Loved it.

The Two Faces Of Rocket News

When I'm on Youtube, I tend to subscribe to folks that have the ability to blow my mind on a weekly basis. I'm not talking Youtube partners here, I'm talking about those channels that defy logic and reason, and garner millions of views as a result. RocketNews24 is just one of those channels.

While about 70% of the time it appears to be a standard food blog (Like the rather normal pizza video above) chronicling the international culinary exploits of this group, the other 30% of their content is broken up by acts of sheer food related insanity that will violate your mind (And stomach). Proceed with caution after the break. This man might just test your love of Bacon.

What Is Dead May Never Die

Vimeo user Kadavre (Ha) Exquis pays homage to a large variety of dead and obsolete formats, mediums and technologies in this interesting little tribute piece. The audio treatment really makes it, accenting the graphics and contributing perfectly to the nostalgic vibe of each vignette. Its nice to shed light on the various steps that brought us to where we are today.

Justice - New Lands

Last October's Audio, Video, Disco proved that the French electro duo were capable of evolving their sound and exploring new horizons. The music video for New Lands features an Al Pacino/Snake Plisken type competing in a high stakes, amazing retro-futuristic sport which mashes up baseball, football, roller derby and a few other sports together. The slow burn track matches the tempo of this miniature sport epic perfectly. And to wrap it up, it even concludes with an anime style freeze frame. This was an absolute blast to watch.

The Art Of Mr. Meier

Salary Negotations. (Via)

The German illustrator who goes by the name of 'Mr Meier' in online circles recently ended up in my Tumblr radar via a series of illustrations he created for GQ German known as '35 Ideas for Men.' His highly stylized work has earned him a ton of editorial work over the years for a variety of magazines in Europe, although I wouldn't be surprised to see his work in American magazines soon. I'd love to see him take a stab at a children's book sometime.

Meier is also the cofounder of the indie publisher Rotopolpress. Check out more of his fine work after the break!

Spray

In this bizarre, multi art styled animated short, a boy receives package with a mysterious spray bottle.  Without even knowing what it is, he decides to go spray the first person (thing?) he sees. What does this mysterious spray do? Why, it grows hair! Lots, and lots of nasty hair. So the only logical next move would be to SPRAY EVERYTHING.  I especially enjoyed the different art styles, including the claymation. Our main protagonist reminded me of a messed up cross between Gumby and Mr. Bill.

Feral by Daniel Sousa

This absolutely gorgeous trailer is for the animated short Feral, by Daniel Sousa, and will be showing at several film festivals later on this year.  In this Jungle Book-esque story, a young feral boy is found in the woods by a lone wolf, and is taken back to civilization.  The boy has a difficult time adjusting to society and reverts back to his wild state. The style is nothing short of breathtaking, with a beautifully hazy, dreamlike style.  Daniel Sousa is also the amazing animator behind another piece we featured, Fable.

Lamento

I was mesmerized by Joshua Clamento's amazing visualizations of John Talabot's track by the same name. Its a spellbinding piece, a journey through abstract shapes, violent, chaotic randomness and mellow tunes, concluding in nothingness. Pretty incredible.

The Art Of SantoLouco

Wingnut (Via)

SantoLouco (Aka Mateus Santoloucou) is a Brazilian artist with a highly graphic style, heavy on the inks and graphic overlays. The type of style perfect for designing band gig illustrations, editorial work for mags, comic books and more, and SantoLouco's portfolio perfectly embodies the range of work that art style can get you.

With clients including DC, Marvel, Image, IDW Publishing, Oni and a slew of others, Mateus is a great example of the type of career you can expect by pursuing the comic book path. Check out more of his work after the break!

Bombay Bicycle Club - Beg

British indie rockers Bombay Bicycle Club just dropped this awesomely uplifting new track which really brought a (Much needed) smile to my face. Featuring two amazing dancers pop locking their way through London, the track has a positively joyful vibe to it that's nothing short of infectious. If you're experiencing that mid week dip, let this be the elixir to heal you. 'Beg' is one of the tracks on their new album, 'A Different Kind Of Fix,' which is out now.

My Own Hair Wig Prank

Step 1: Cut off my long hair of three years
Step 2: hot glue it into a wig (yes, slightly serial killerish, but wait..)
Step 3: Wear that wig, my friends thinking it's my hair
Step 4: Pull it off suddenly and presto, friend freakouts

The Dreamy Worlds Of Daniel Danger

Wonder Wheel (Via)

Daniel Danger is an illustrator based out of New England who really captured our imagination with his incredible images, reminiscent of dream states and hazy memories of places and people long gone. These images just perfectly captured what my dream feel like at times, familiar with a strange surreal overlay on top. If I could put it into a nutshell, it feels like his work centers around the subconcious, something we can't quite grasp fully.

From abandoned amusement parks to rundown houses, his pieces cover a large variety of urban decay. Check out more of his amazing work after the break!

Super Golden Friends

What if the Super Friends finally retired and headed down to Miami to share a home in their 'Golden' years? You'd get this awesome parody opening parodying the classic 80's show about the equivalent of 'Friends' with a geriatric crew of ladies. This probably took forever, due to use of rotoscoping (Tracing over footage) of the original intro. That bald Aquaman is noting short of nightmare inducing.