"Black Sails" Intro - Pirates, Pirates, Pirates

Just recently found out that the Starz Network is throwing their hat into the high budget TV show ring with their upcoming Black Sails, which will hopefully give the under-appreciated pirate genre some love. The folks at Imaginary Forces put together an awesome intro for the show, a stunning display of ornate ivory carvings from the period and figureheads, the statues placed on the front of boats that were once regarded as the spirit of a ship, used to placate the temperamental gods of the sea. I'm personally a little burnt out on the often retread themes of shows these days, so a showed based on the golden age of piracy actually stands out in a really good way. The show will be premiering on the 25th of January, keeping my fingers crossed that it'll be great.

It's 1715 and the golden age of piracy… a world where rebel pirates, collapsing shanty towns, whore houses, illegal treasure and the promise of the New World clash with the imperial forces of European civilization. Nothing less than a full-on art history mash-up of Baroque motifs, Gothic architecture and Rococo style could express this strange society, where outcasts and aristocrats alike vie for power. Using a sculptural language traditionally reserved for saints and kings, we depict a maverick society that is ultimately doomed. Beauty and death abound… as well as a skeleton

The Pirate Bay - Away From Keyboard Trailer

(Via)

TPB: AFK is an upcoming documentary directed by Simon Klose which centers around the tumultuous lives of the three founders of the Pirate Bay: Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij and Gottfrid Svartholm. The documentary covers the ongoing legal battle between the founders and Hollywood, which ultimately culminated in the US threatening Sweden with actual trade sanctions for hosting the torrent website.

Gottfrid (aka anakata), a semi-paranoid cyber libertarian, Peter (aka brokep), an eco activist and spokesperson and Fredrik (aka TiAMO) a beer loving tech fanatic ultimately ended up being indicted for assisting in copyright infringement in early 2009. Following the $3,620,000 judgement in damages, Peter infamously replied, 'Even if I had any money I would rather burn everything I own and not even give them the ashes. They could have the job of picking them up. That's how much I hate the media industry.'

The first ever Pirate Bay server, now displayed at the Computer Museum in Linköping.

Their story is one of defiance, and the penultimate example of the type of gray legal area that has emerged from the emergence of filesharing (Let's not forget the dubious legal circumstances surrounding the closure of Megaupload). The documentary will be released for free (Of course) this spring on the TPK website, and we look forward to hearing about the founders personal experiences as Hollywood's most hated pirates. Stay tuned for more updates.

 

Here Be Treasure

Though I generally prefer my pirates to be smooth, cunning, and ruthless, I found a little spot in my heart for this derpy buccaneer.  After initially almost missing his buried treasure, he digs it up only to find a surprise.  He's been tricked by an unforeseen enemy, one who hides in the shadows for each victim.  Also, claymation.

The Pirates: Band Of Misfits Trailer

I have to admit I was really surprised to see the Aardman animation folks (Makers of Wallace and Gromit) debut this trailer out of nowhere. I had completely forgotten about them following their last foray into feature films, Flushed Away. But when I saw that signature stop motion style, I knew they were back. This new flick appears to be headed into completely uncharted territory for these guys, tackling a Pirate theme that kind of reminds me of the Monkey Island games from back in the day, in a good way. This might be a movie worth keeping an eye out for. My only annoyance was the fact that they decided to stick a Misfits song (Blitzkrieg Bop) in there to match the title of the movie. Really guys? Please fire your marketing team already.

Jack Sparrow Feat. Michael Bolton

This just might be my new favorite Lonely Island track so far, feature a hilarious cross over with a Pirates of the Caribbean obsessed Michael Bolton. The result is an awesome club hit /troll attempt by Michael Bolton /indirect promo for the new Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie. Its insanely catchy, which is always a given coming from the Lonely Island guys.