Hitchcock Official Trailer

We've seen photographic previews of Anthony Hopkins' transformation into the legendary Hitchcock, but aside from his voice he's pretty much unrecognizable in this debut trailer. The film revolves around the making of Psycho, a movie that went on to be classified as one of the greatest movies of all time. Despite the accolades, the film was considered highly controversial for attempting to elevate the amount of 'acceptable' sexuality and violence in films. The production faced an incredible amount of resistance from Paramount, to the point that Hitchcock had to offer to finance the project himself and defer any majority ownership of the film.

The trailer also goes into the more personal aspects of Hitchcock's life, shedding light onto the strong woman who stood by him during the difficult times he faced while trying to get the project off the ground. With a relatively unknown director behind the helm (Sacha Gervasi), I'm hopeful this will actually be an insightful look into the world of a man who played a pivotal role in shaping modern cinema.

Awesome Ads Volume 1: CRCR's Lowdi And Banzai Studios' Lollapallooza

There's been a glut of fantastic ads overseas as of late, tapping into some of the most creative international collectives to create truly memorable pieces that are more art than the annoying garbage we are subjected to. McDonalds ads implying that hipsters love buying 8 piece chicken nuggets and heading off to the desert to play with sparklers? F*** that, hard. And hey, try using an instrument other than a ukulele and a xylophone to compose your god forsaken, mind numbingly dull, sterile commercials. Did I mention I really hate 99.9% of all ads? Probably preaching to the choir.

So yeah, that rage aside..What I like about these ads, a title they don't deserve is that they actually put some damn effort to add some style to the products they're pimping. A little personality really goes a long way to leaving a lasting impression, rather than fitting the mold of what everyone else is doing. CRCR is a French design collective responsible for ridiculously stylish shorts like Jesus 2000 (After the break), whereas Banzai Studio is a Brazilian group who have worked for a dizzying international array of clients spanning, MTV to Xerox. Enjoy these awesome ads, and look forward to the next installment.

Bonaparte - 40°42'48.46 N 73°58'18.38 W

Bonaparte's ridiculously named official video for their Rube-Goldbergian noise fest was made possible thanks to the power of Lego. Using a variety of Mindstorms working in tandem, Peter Cocteau assembled this synchronized take on the 1:20 track, taken from the album 'Sorry We're Open,' the third studio album by the Berlin based indie-punk band.

The Art Of Eric Fortune

(Via)

Eric Fortune's work lies heavily within the realm of surrealism, with his work evoking memories of becoming aware in a hazy dream, or that feeling of letting your mind wander till everything around you drones out. His beautiful paintings always feature characters that never quite look like they belong there, stuck in a strange state of limbo, with at times introspective, at times curious expressions that definitely leave an impression. You kind of end up pondering what these subjects are thinking or experiencing in the confines of the canvases they inhabit.

Eric is an emerging artist based out of Columbus, Ohio and has seen a massive amount of acclaim directed his way over the last few years. And he works in watercolor, which in my opinion is one of the most punishing mediums I've tried to learn over the years (Respect). Check out more of his illustration work after the break!

Peste Et Crouton

With the amount of talent at the Les Gobelins academy, it's no surprise that the students regularly engage in full on summer productions with companies. In this case 5 students embarked on an internship with French animation studio Supamonks to create this rather silly short about a duel between generations.

If you grew up glued to your Gameboy, you might find quite a bit to relate with here, especially if you had to deal with parents and relatives desperately trying to get you to take your eyes off of it during scenic roadtrips (Guilty as charged). The short was created by Marion Bulot, Eve Ceccarelli, Jeanne Sylvette Giraud, Sophie Markatatos and Laurent Moing.

Deacon Blue - The Hipsters

Scottish band Deacon Blue has a pretty chill, yet a "hell yeah!" feeling song in 'The Hipsters.' It's really a perfect driving song (as in, driving on a long stretch of open road on a bright day). In the video, a group of uniformed junior high kids are at an indoor pool. The group of both boys and girls decided to chase on other boy, in what I assume is an act of bullying. The boy gets away, but takes a rather interesting route. In an act that would seem to have him cornered ultimately leads to his freedom. Let's just say most of us can appreciate the story of an underdog.

Are Chairs Like Facebook?

In response to Facebook's recent commercial "The Things That Connect Us", a small group of folks decided to make a little commercial of their own. The result? What seems like a random array of silliness but with a fun, tongue-in-cheek tone. It's a complete parody, mocking Facebook for the super-serious tone it decided to take when making it's ad to commemorate 1 billion users. To find out the answer to "Are Chairs Like Facebook?", the folks behind the video ask you to visit their site. Is social networking and the online community a big part of our world now? Of course! We wouldn't be here if it wasn't. But is there a difference between actual connections, and online ones? Or are they one in the same? Feel free to comment below!

RoboGal's Weekly Cute Mixtape

We've been running around like we're on fire here at Awesome-Robo HQ. As we've mentioned in past podcasts, we'll have our very first comic booth here in Austin, TX October 26-28. Getting everything situated for that (as well as the pre-requisite mini freakouts as first-timers, of course) means that a good mental break is in order. The tried-and-true way is the fluffy and adorable way. Cute Mixtape, ahoy!

More after the break!

The Serene Art Of Tatsuro Kiuchi

(Via)

Tatsuro Kiuchi's colorful, simple illustrations put a smile on my face when I ran into them. Channeling the type of retro aesthetics that were present in children's books back in the day, Tatsuro's art applies a modern thematic twist to the graphic, flat color illustration style that is present throughout his work.

There's something relaxing about his work, as his typical themes seem to encompass harmony and friendship, also apparent by his mostly subdued palette choices. Check out more of his illustration work after the break!

Pockets; An Incredible Short In Every Aspect

Straight up, Pockets is an incredible short. While the beginning may lead you to believe that you're in store for a decent drama, things quickly take a turn for the unexpected. While I don't want to spoil much of the video, I will say that the effects used are simply amazing. I can safely say this is unlike anything you've ever seen, if it doesn't leave you wanting at least a little bit more I don't know if I  want to be your friend (we can discuss these things later in our relationship). I wouldn't mind seeing an expansion on this idea, Fight Club ending and all.

Retro Wreck-It Ralph Arcade Game Ad Is VHS-tastic!

This year has had a number of good (and a ton of awful) movies, but as we head towards the end of the year we shouldn't forget another highly anticipated film, Wreck-It Ralph. The mashup film broke the mold of typical Disney movies by incorporating actual villains and mascots from the videogame world, an honest effort to get in touch with current generations.

Since it's premiere at E3 (Which blew our minds) we've been eagerly anticipating Disney's Wreck-It Ralph, which is just a few weeks from release..I couldn't be more excited. The film looks like fun and unlike other films released by the Mouse this year it seems to be doing a fantastic job at generating a viral presence online. This little promo is a true flashback to a retro 1980's style commercial, promoting the Fix It Felix Jr arcade game. Check it out!

The Event

New York based Julia Potts' The Event is a bizarre post apocalyptic event told in reverse, narrating how everything slowly fell apart for the unfortunate mammalian protagonists. The hazy, quirky visual style works well with the poetic narrative, and really reminded me of Tatsuo Sato's equally bizarre Cat Soup, which ranks up there as one of the most bizarre, yet enjoyable movie experiences I've ever had. The short was commissioned for Channel 4's Random Acts initiative.

The Art Of Torei

(Via)

Torei (Aka Ray Toh) is a Singapore based freelancer who I've been following on and off for a few years now. If there's anything I could say about the man, it's that he keeps himself damn busy, cranking out a few dozen pieces every few weeks. If you're familiar with the work of industry legend Craig Mullins, you might notice some similarities here with his painterly, sketchy style that's heavy on implied detail.

Following him for the last 2-3 years has been pretty inspiring, as Ray Toh's work has improved dramatically with the amount of work that he's dedicated to experimenting and practicing. Aside from Paul Richards of Autodestruct, I can easily say that he's one of the most prolific artists out there as of now. Check out more of his scifi flavored work after the break, and I look forward to seeing him improve even further!

Eclectic Method - The Future

Hey you, come a little closer. I want to tell you something about the future. It will either be: A mind-bendingly awesome; utopian landscape where all of Earth's problems have been resolved and technology and humanity have evolved to create harmony.

Or it might be a f***ed-up dystopian nightmare. Where artificial intelligence has surpassed that of it's creators. Or perhaps humans have ravaged the Earth to such a degree that it has gone into full revolt. Or A scarcity of resources has humans warring over water. It depends on which film you watch or what time of day you might have asked Stanley Kubrick's opinion.

Eclectic Method has supercut some of our favorite scenes from movies that turn a predictive eye to the future. Blade Runner's Megacities alongside A.I.'s flooded New York and Idiocracy's run down shanty towns. Some technology predictions in these films have already proven to be accurate and some are still a ways off - or not! ... cameras on every corner, oil shortages, massive cultural uprisings in the middle east, retinal scans, X-Rays, flying cars and hoverboards, hybrid humans, robots, A.I., teleportation and so on. Who really watches Sci-Fi for the plot anyway, you wanna see the goodness condensed.

Rest assured though, in the future, as in the present, there will be both Coke and Pepsi!

Rock It For Me

This animated music video by Caravan Palace is super fun, with just the right amount of energy to wake me up from a late day lull. In 40's-esque factory where a robot is being built to defend from an oncoming invasion, a man decides to leave an instrument on the production line. The result? Well, definitely not a defender robot. What's left instead is something much for... Festive.

Bobby Tank - Afterburn

UK Producer Bobby Tank's Afterburn is an instant punch to the face of hyper colorful, euphoric 80's glam visuals mixed with bursts of seamless glitch transitions. With a clean melody at it's core, this bombastic retro anthem is a joy to hear and watch. If you're feeling lethargic, watching this is the equivalent of receiving a quad-shot of espresso directly into your brain. Awesome.