Disney has released the first full trailer for Tomorrowland, Brad Bird's live action sci-fi-fantasy adventure film starring George Clooney (Ocean's Eleven) and Britt Robertson (The Host). Co-written by Damon Lindelof, Tomorrowland is Bird's second live-action film coming off the strength of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and such feature-length animated films as The Iron Giant and The Incredibles.
Tommorowland follows an unlikely pair of companions bound by a shared destiny. One, a teenage girl bursting with rebellious scientific curiosity, the other a jaded former boy-genius inventor, as they embark on a mission to unearth the mysteries of a fantastic world hidden somewhere between the intersecting folds of space, time and our collective imagination.
Syd Mead's concept-art, "A place where the best and brightest in the world came together to change it"
I've been eagerly awaiting Bird's next film since it was first speculated to be the next installment in the Star Wars franchise. I'm absolutely in love with the retro-futuristic aesthetic of the film shown so far, and the few snippets of Michael Giacchino's orchestral score in the trailer are already giving me goose-bumps. Lindelof's involvement leaves me feeling a bit lukewarm, at least initially. However, I think that a hypothetical-future world brimming with colorful discoveries and intrigue falls squarely within his wheelhouse. Tomorrowland comes out in theaters May 22nd.
A New Life Awaits You in The Off-World Colonies! Or at least, that's what these posters would lead you to believe. Nasa's been going through something of a boon lately, what with the announcement that the number of discovered exoplanets orbiting the habitable zone of neighboring stars now number in the thousands! That means there are just over 1,000 possible Earths out there...if we could only reach them.
To commerate the occasion, a group of artists at the Kepler astronomical labortory have released three stunning vintage-styled travel posters inspired by the "Visit America" Tourist campaign. Just looking at these makes me want to hop a ride on an orbital elevator and take a connecting flight from Olympus Mons straight on for the stars. Check out the rest of the posters after the break!
The animated story of Francis came from the famed radio show called 'This American Life,' which focuses on journalism, essays, short fiction and other memoirs. This particular tale came about when the host of the show, Ira Glass asked 6 American writers to create a short story centered around the theme of adventure. One of these stories was written by novelist & screenwriter Dave Eggars, which in turn was read on the show to much acclaim and praise.
Director Richard Hickey decided to adapt this tale into an animated short alongside producer Kevin Batten, tapping the talent of 40 different artists to work on bringing this heartwarming tale to life. Francis has been shown at festivals including Cannes and Rain dance. While I wish the narrator had a little bit more range of emotion, the story is solid and the visual quality is excellent. Loved it.
Night In The Woods is a gorgeous new 2D adventure-platformer from the minds of game designer Alec Holowka and animator Scott Benson. The game takes place in the rural suburbia of Possum Springs where you play as Mae, a precocious yet introverted 20-something trying to find her place in the world of young adulthood. Night In The Woods promises a variety of laugh-worthy and poignant misadventures, with many extracurricular activities to enjoy, characters to befriend, and dark secrets to uncover.
Run, jump and use astral projection to explore the many sides of the town of Possum Springs and the surrounding environs. Waste time around town with your crew of loser friends. Gain abilities that grant passage to new areas. Discover the secrets of a large cast of characters and the town itself. Experience a big crazy world and the remarkable events unfolding there. Play bass. Break stuff.
The animation and art style resemble a marriage between the whimsical style and humor of Double Fine's Scott Campbell and Olive The Other Reindeer illustrator J. Otto Seibold. I love games that push into the previously unexplored facets of the human experience, away from the neon-tinged firefights of space warfare and the swashbuckling of high-fantasy. Though those are nice too, in moderation. I can't wait to play this game. Check out their Kickstarter page!
Stacking is a game that just came out this week for the Xbox Live Arcade. It's a finely crafted puzzle adventure game where you run around stacking your pint-sized protagonist inside of other Babushka dolls to solve puzzles. More after the break.
