ANOMALY is a Stirring Sci-Fi Re-imagining of Christian Nativity

Anomaly is the latest stunning collaboration between Directors Salomon Ligthelm & Dan DiFelice. Set amidst the starstruck euphoria and espionage-soaked paranoia of the 1960's, Anomaly draws from the same creative wellspring as the works of Steven Spielberg and Terrence Malick.

Oliver Grier, a young astronaut on a mission to space; experiences the heartache and regret of a broken relationship. The film follows Oliver and his fiancé Haylee Lawson's journey, as they navigate love and disillusionment.  During Oliver's mission, a long awaited astronomical event begins to take place - an event, predicted decades prior by scientist Noel Fitz, an elderly man whose theories have subsequently been disregarded due to an unstable mental condition.

Anomaly has just pole-vaulted itself near the top of some of my favorite shorts this year. Definitely one of the most beautifully shot films I've seen this year (That CIA-redacted title sequence à la Gareth Edwards' Godzilla sold me immediately).

The film hasn't been out for more than a day and it's already managed to garner effusive praise (rightly so) and provoke lively debate, picking apart the film's cosmically-drenched symbolism. Is the Bayt Lahm comet the returning star of Bethlehem? Is Haylee's child the second coming? Visually extraordinary, thematically provocative, and deftly written and directed; Anomaly could not have been released on a more timely date.

Robo Reminder - Play Shovel Knight!

In our darkest hour of unfinished early access titles, half baked gimmick games (I'm looking at you Goat Simulator), every once in a while we get some amazing, polished games like Yacht Clubs' Shovel Knight. Which I'd describe as a finely tuned mixture of Ghosts and Ghoblins, Demon's Souls and Mr. Driller while we're at it.

The game captures that satisfying old school difficulty with an absolutely amazing old school aesthetic that beckons back to NES era visuals and sound (With those extra unlocked sound channels of course). And just like Demon's Souls it uses similar 'drop on death' mechanics, making for some true nail biting moments while you try and recover your dropped gold.

This is probably one of the funnest experiences I've had with an indie game in recent memory, so I'd highly recommend giving this game a spin if you happen to have a 3DS/WiiU or Steam. Go for it.

You play as the eponymous Shovel Knight, a small knight with a huge quest. Shovel Knight has come to this valley with two goals: to defeat the evil Enchantress and save his lost beloved. He wields a Shovel Blade; a multipurpose weapon whose techniques have now been lost to the ages. Always honest and helpful, Shovel Knight is a shining example of the code of Shovelry: Slash Mercilessly and Dig Tirelessly!

The Photorealistic Art Of Doug Bloodworth - Snacks, Comics And Nostalgia

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Doug Bloodworth is a definite card carrying member of the photorealism movement, but thanks to his choice of subject matter he's managed to captivate a much wider audience than your typical still life artist. Doug's work features junk food, comic books, games and toys that were prevalent in a pre-internet era, and it's painted so damn well that it typically fools viewers into thinking that it's a photo.

The inspiration to go down this path came from now deceased sculptor Duane Hanson, who was famous for his incredibly life like sculptures of everyday people. When Doug was younger he actually walked up to one of Duane's sculptures of a security guard in New York and asked him where the restroom was. The experience had a lasting effect on him that ultimately shaped his painting career.



Currently recognized as one of the premier photorealistic painters in the international community, Bloodworth continues to do what he loves, and everyone loves the unorthodox direction he's taken. Some of the content present in his work is drawn from a period before I was even born, but it's not hard to see where people get that nostalgic connection to his work from. Check out more of his amazing photorealistic pieces after the break!

Saint Motel - "My Type"

LA based alt-rockers Saint Motel tapped into a dormant disco vein for My Type, a fantastically fun track with plenty of retro instrumental stylings throughout. The track is from their upcoming EP, which will be dropping sometime in July accompanied by an extensive summer tour schedule, their followup to 2012's excellent 'Voyeurs' album. Directed and edited by A/J Jackson, the music video beckons back to colorful 70's era aesthetics and cinematography. An awesome homage all around.

"Monkey Rag" - An Incredibly Catchy Animated Short By Joanna Davidovich

Monkey Rag is a charming old school animation featuring the music of the now defunct Asylum Street Spankers band, an Austin based progressive folk/ragtime group that dissolved in 2011. Created by Joanna Davidovich using nothing but hand animation and a copy of Toon Boom over the course of countless evenings and weekends, this short was a labor of love to say the least.

The style she employed has a semblance to a progressive version of a Hanna Barbera cartoon with plenty of modern touches, evoking the same type of vibe as the retro-contemporary folk music that it was created to accompany. Davidovich mentioned that despite using plenty of digital animation tools at her day job, she felt inclined to go old school with this one to capture a certain feel that she rarely got from her digital work.

Over the course of production (Which lasted a total of four  years) Joanna collaborated with Nate Foster and Darren Tate to take care of the compositing and coloring process respectively. You can check out the humorously made making of reel after the break! There's no better feeling than doing personal work when you get a chance.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "The Sun Explodes"

Just a bunch of regular high school kids by day, indie rock band The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart turn into 80's interstellar music warriors by night in The Sun Explodes. Channeling the visuals of Jem & The Holograms mixed with the aural stylings of The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins, Lightning Seeds and a few other bands combined, we join the outfit on a cosmic adventure to annihilate the sun. The track is taken from their newest album called 'Days Of Abandon,' which is available for purchase now.

Flying Lotus - "Phantasm"

Mysterious, astral creatures roam an idyllic desert in this new music video for Phantasm, taken from the year and a half old album 'Until The Quiet Comes.' A strange fuzzy creature unravels the contents of a mysterious figure, who seems to contain an entire universe within his body.

Featuring the beautiful vocal accompaniment of singer Laura Darlington, the video seems to have aimed for a vintage scifi feel with director Markus Hofko's choice of using a whole slew of retro lenses to shoot. The music video was shot over 2 days in the desert region of northern New Zealand.

Million Dollar Extreme Returns With "Stuff"

The folks at Million Dollar Extreme have been quiet, but just recently appeared again with a new faux film trailer simply called Stuff. While it starts off pretty slow with Sam Hyde simply talking nonsense about different types of weed, we quickly transition into some absolutely insane territory. A whirlwind of madness unfolds: Buxom babes, switchblades, slow motion, spraying blood, gnarly romance, domination, ultra violence and everything in between set to Parachute Ending by French electro outfit Birdy Nam Nam.

The entire thing feels like something that Harmony Korine and the collective creative force of the 80's would put out, and at the end of it I was kind of left wishing it was something real. That's the power of Million Dollar Extreme, they always leave you wanting more. I really hope these guys someday get the chance to direct something more long form, their carefree attitude to everything they make is refreshing in the Youtube landscape of overproduced, overly thought out garbage.

Jérémie Périn's Starr Mazer Is So Good, I Wish It Was Real

It's been a minute since we last saw anything from Jeremie Perin, the demented wunderkind behind such masterpieces as Detective God, Mystery Boy, and the morbidly-captivating DYE - Fantasy (NSFW). Perin is certainly one of the most memorable animators I've come across in a long while. His penchant for risque gross-out subject matter tinged with a synth-pop infused 80's aesthetic has earned him a growing following online, and deservedly so.

Perin's latest video is a fake video game trailer created for Don Thacker's film Motivational Growth. With a Galaga-style shooting section, point-and-click hostage situations, a death-defying escape sequence complete with an epic 16-bit soundtrack, I'm genuinely disappointed I can't play this!

Ballad Of A Wifi Hero

H. Jon Benjamin of Bob's Burgers and Archer stars in this animated adaptation of McSweeney Internet Tendency piece by Mike Lacher: In Which I Fix My Girlfriend's Grandparents' WiFi and Am Hailed as a Conquering Hero. A tale of everyday familial tech support is turned into an epic pixelated tale animated by the folks over at Vulture. Loved it.

The Art Of Couscous Team

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Couscous is a delicious Moroccan dish, and also the alias for an awesome South Korean illustration and concept team that's recently surfaced online and has been making waves. As of now we haven't been able to figure out how many team members make up this illustration team, but we can tell they're all pretty damn talented.

Their work really brings back memories of 70's futurism, Frazetta and pulpy scifi movies from the era, especially with the fashion designs, and retro tinged presentation, complete with grainy overlays and retro typography. We'll be keeping our eyes on these guys for sure, as they're absolutely rocking it so far. Check out more of their work after the break!

Dog Blood - "Chella Ride"

Expect a deliciously retro flavored blast of EDM in this Golden Wolf directed music video for Dog Blood's Chella Ride, a musical collaboration initiated between Boys Noize and Skrillex back in 2012. Mixing a variety of 2D, 3D and cel animation techniques that kind of channel the same visual styles that coexisted with the sound back in the 90's. The theme is centered around a dog astronaut who ultimately succumbs to his paranoia during a lengthy space mission. The track is taken from their new Middle Finger Pt. 2 EP, which is available now on Beatport.

8-Bit Cinema Is Back With Fight Club X Streets of Rage

8 Bit Cinema is at it again, this time taking one of the most iconic films of the late 90's/early 00's and adapting it for the small screen. In an especially clever choice, the talented folks at Cineflix have mashed together Fight Club with the classic side-scrolling beat 'em up Streets of Rage to make something that is nothing short of spectacularly hilarious. From the soap-collecting bonus round to the car washing priest, there are a lot of noteworthy scenes in this remake. If only the officially licensed game could have been this awesome.

"Dark Souls II - Rogue Warrior" Is Pretty Damn Clever

Youtube animator Veselekov just recently uploaded this awesome little parody of Dark Souls, poking fun at the butchering of many IP's back in the 80's and 90's in order to create cash grab/merchandising vehicle cartoon tie ins for various companies. Shows like Captain N: The Game Master for Nintendo, the hilarious Capcom endorsed Street Fighter: The Adventure Begins and Darkstalkers come to mind, which butchered or straight out disregarded the source material so badly that it was kind of hilarious.

This particular take on Dark Souls features guns, cyborg eyes and plenty of VHS tinged visual goodness. It nearly feels like the illegitimate half child of Farcry 3: Blood Dragon, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Storm Jumper

Directed and animated by Malcolm Sutherland, Storm Jumper tells the tale of a solitary shaman sensing the arrival of something terrible to his homeland: A storm of epic proportions that has the potential to bring disaster to the planet he inhabits. In order to counteract this disaster, he transcends his own physical being to get more in tune with the source of this disturbance.

The Moebius/retro bande desinee influence is undeniable here, with Malcolm stating that the late French comic artist has an apartment in (his) subconcious. With a vintage art style and musical quality to this short, it's a pleasant blast to the past.

Bored Game™

What a blast to the past...The folks at Dark Igloo set out to recreate the unforgettably campy mid 90's toy commercial style that dominated that era with Bored Game. A tribute to hazy bedrooms, overly enthusiastic flannel donning kids and some seriously gimmicky (yet effective) selling points. They nailed it on the head with their 90's in a blender concept.

A commercial for Bored Game™ - the greatest game never made and fifth place on 1994’s Hottest Holiday Toy List. Starring The Technodrome, Hot Shots Electronic Basketball, Boglins, a GoPro mounted to a slot car, Mall Madness, the TMNT Pizza Thrower, Power Glove, Toe Jam & Earl, Laser Tag, Don’t Wake Daddy and at least one thing you had growing up. Some assembly required.

Žagar - "Space Medusa"

This is an awesome treat coming straight from the Hungarian indie and electro scene; Žagar was setup in 2001 and has made waves in the region with their fresh, highly atmospheric and psychedelic brand of chill electro.

Barcelona based director Kinopravada (Aka Danila) was tasked with translating their track Space Medusa, taken from their 2013 album Light Leaks. Inspired by the retro sound, the music video effectively captures the state of mind of the various protagonists during their journey, with a visual style inspired by Tartavosky films like Solaris and the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky. Sit back and enjoy the trip.

Difference A Day Makes

This awesome music video directed by Geoffrey Skrajewski of the Shed collective follows the surreal journey of a man traveling to the other end of the universe in order to rescue a mysterious woman. Alone aboard his ship, he must face a series of obstacles to cross the vastness of space that prevents from reaching her. Imagine a low poly version of Gravity with the musical stylings of Jim Guthrie (Swords and Sorcery, Indie Game the Movie) and you get the idea.

The Faile Arcade

The Brooklyn based art duo called Faile have already done 2 separate pop-up arcades in the past, taking vintage cabinets, gutting them and reloading them with custom videogames and art. The goal of the duo is a mixture of a tribute to their own childhoods spent in dimly lit arcades as well as recreating that distinct atmosphere for a new generation to experience. This third installment of the Deluxx Fluxx arcade will be popping up in Miami from December 3-7.

It’s a connection for us to a time and a place. Not only to the games but the whole experience – the environment, the artwork, the lighting, the sense of losing yourself in this world.

The Moose Knuckle Series

Directed by musician and animator Chris Harding, Moose Knuckle is an awesome pixel fueled journey into the fever dream of an anxious Moose, which go in a variety of strange directions, including the above's (Moose Knuckle 3) descent into a strange 8-bit rave mode. If you've been craving some retro visuals as of late this should absolutely do the trick.



Check out part 1 and 2 of this awesome series by Chris Harding after the break, featuring the unlucky moose getting himself into a variety of strange conundrums.