Made Fun

I’ve been preoccupied with Rihanna’s video for...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:26:00 -0700

I’ve been preoccupied with Rihanna’s video for “We Found Love,” directed by Melina Matsoukas, since its release last week. Two reasons:

1) “We Found Love” has gotten comparisons to “Trainspotting,” “Requiem for a Dream,” Cee-Lo’s video for “No One’s Gonna Love You,” some Gregg Araki movies, and even a more sinister version of those heavy-handed Levi’s All-American commercials full of youthful ladies and gents running around in cornfields. But all of these examples feature white people. Most of the comparisons I’ve seen made so far feature white teens and twenty-somethings living their beautifully tragic lives, exploring what it might mean to get wrapped up in drugs, the idea of love, dependence on either, and then trying to find a way out. This happens even when the media is created by mixed filmmakers or plays during covers sung by people of color. Rihanna’s video focuses entirely on two people of color, including non-white faces in a story bloggers have already reminded us ad nauseam that we’ve seen before in other forms.

That is, writers point that out, and then commenters point out that the lead male in the video, Dudley O’Shaughnessy, looks like bleach-haired Chris Brown, which may or may not be intentional, but does lead me to —

2) Rihanna’s said a few times that she’s not interested in or equipped for being a formal spokesman for domestic abuse, but she does want to give people who’ve had similar experiences a voice. I see “We Found Love” as the latest instance where she’s weaved that kind of complicated story into her mainstream image, from her involvement in “Love the Way You Lie” to the video for “Man Down” and most recently these new visuals. And while advocacy is hugely important, Rihanna’s creative efforts with directors like Melina Matsoukas remind me not to discount the impact simply including different people and experiences in stories can have. It gets people talking, and encouraging survivors and communities to talk is typically one of the biggest goals for anyone trying to help marginalized groups.

But what makes all of that most effective is that it’s presented in a video that feels worth watching. The relationship is believable, the juxtaposition of happy song with a darker reality is striking, and that’s what makes it all work.

So I’ve watched “We Found Love” multiple times. I keep thinking about it and wanting to talk about it. That’s probably a good thing.

I know there’s been a lot of edutainment aimed towards...

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:51:00 -0700

I know there’s been a lot of edutainment aimed towards very young children. Kindergarten and pre-K children never seem to lack vaguely disturbing shows about aliens who want to teach them how to read, but sometimes I wonder about kids older than that. Where do they get their moral lessons from?

Shows like the new “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” series have somehow attracted viewers of all ages, but is there anything like “The magic School Bus” What about this generation’s Bill Nye? Where is the television show that’s an obvious product of society’s biggest concerns?

Warren Buffet had the same questions. He’s better set up to do something about it, though, so get ready to experience his new series, “Secret Millionaires Club.” The New York Times describes it as, “a rebooted animated Web series that follows the adventures of a group of kids as they tackle financial emergencies, like low-performing lemonade stands and troubled bicycle shops.” Basically the most boring cartoon imagined and then — a Jay-Z appears, an animated example of How to Be Great.

This changes everything. That alone sets this up to easily out-do something like “Captain Planet,” since Jay-Z is real-life ballin’ and (thankfully) doesn’t have green hair. Jigga man, teach me how to balance my books. Diversifying portfolios is wonderous. In 2011, the magic school bus is probably a chopped up Maybach. Of course!

“We Need to Talk About Kevin” Trailer Oh, look,...

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:48:00 -0700

“We Need to Talk About Kevin” Trailer

Oh, look, another movie about a sociopath that I need to see. And it involves Tilda Swinton? This gets more and more promising.

“We Need to Talk About Kevin” gets a limited USA release in December.

I tend to forget that CSS exists outside of my 2006 whirlwind...

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:56:34 -0700

I tend to forget that CSS exists outside of my 2006 whirlwind obsession with them right as “Cansei de Ser Sexy” began making international noise. Then they’ll release something like “Hits Me Likes a Rock,” a track that’s light and infectious, and I’m reminded of why I cared.

This new video for “Hits Me Like a Rock” doesn’t let up on the fun either, taking a bunch of tutorials for dance to teach wallflowers how to shake their bodies.

theatlanticvideo: Remix: ‘All the President’s Men’ vs. the...

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:17:02 -0700

theatlanticvideo:

Remix: ‘All the President’s Men’ vs. the Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’

“I can’t stand it, I know you planned it, I’m gonna set it straight, this Watergate,” begins the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.” All the President’s Boys is one of those perfect remixes that works so well, you can’t believe you didn’t think of it first. Editor Jeff Yorkes “cinemashup” of footage from All the President’s Men nails it.

I’m completely agreed on what The Atlantic’s saying here. The best examples of transformative media are the ones where I sit back and think, “Oh, obviously,” and can just enjoy. “All the President’s Boys” is just cool.

The first ‘Battleship’ movie trailer earning Michael...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:21:05 -0700

The first ‘Battleship’ movie trailer earning Michael Bay comparisons made me think about the art and sound departments for the ‘Transformers’ franchise today. While the storytelling for those films has been all over the place, the art and sound design has been consistently exciting to me.

This SoundWorks Collection featurette exposes some of the work behind the sound design and effects for ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon.’ Key crew members, including supervising sound editor Erik Aadahl, talk about mixing the film for 7.1 surround sound and a few of the experiments done to capture and create initial ‘wild sound’ for the film.

Recording the sound of dry ice against different metals still strikes me as especially cool. If that movie didn’t have a runtime of half my life, I’d watch it again to try to nail down some of these elements.

The site OMGICU dedicates itself to aggregating information...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:53:12 -0700

The site OMGICU dedicates itself to aggregating information about celebrity sightings via social media, but this week it’s used that mission to also demonstrate just how effectively mobile users can document current events.

The setting: a highly anticipated concert debut. The method: smartphones. Combine those elements with a little editing help and a kind of video take on Storifying, and OMGICU presents R&B singer and recent internet buzz act The Weeknd’s first live show as told completely by fans in attendance.

Traditional cameras were banned, and the press wasn’t allowed to bring in much either. By culling real-time tweets and mobile footage captured during the shows, OMGICU fully still manages to recreate The Weeknd’s opening song, “High For This,” from his very first club performance in Toronto on Sunday, July 24.

DJ Caruso premieres the first installment of...

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:34:30 -0700

DJ Caruso premieres the first installment of “Inside”

It’s July 25th, which means the first installment of director DJ Caruso’s experiment in social media filmmaking hits the Internet today.

The movie’s website is currently overloaded, but the full episode is available on Youtube. So far the main character Christina, played by Emmy Rossum, has woken up to find she’s been trapped in a room. She tries to get some photos of her location uploaded to Facebook, and then her internet connection dies. Story of my life, really.

Hypem.com unveils 'Fast Forward,' a music blog sample plate

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:35:00 -0700

Have you tried Fast Forward yet?

I’ve always enjoyed The Hype Machine because it allows me to play through new music and popular favorites with a little more personalized context than a service like Pandora. If I want to know more about specific tracks, I can click through to blogs, and then also discover whole new corners of the music blogging abyss. Their newest experiment, Fast Forward, takes that idea and gives it a meth addiction.

Here’s how the new service works, according to Hype Machine:

From the latest, popular, or genre channels of blogged music, we show you screenshots of related blog posts, while playing short samples of the songs being discussed. Want to read the whole post? Click the big image on your screen. Like the song? Click the heart to add it to your Hype Machine favorites. Use your arrow keys, space bar, or the > button to skip to the next sample.

And it moves really fast. Fast Forward is micro-blogging in an almost purely auditory form. It may end up helping bloggers simply because users end up opening tab after tab just to hold on to a song before it gets lost in the wealth of sound bites.

Fast Forward doesn’t work well for prolonged periods of listening for the same reason. There’s no time to settle into anything. Still, when I hit that “I hate everything on my iPod” wall, it’s a really consuming, fun way to get a barrage of tastes and possibilities in very little time.

Imagine any CD sampler ever created but free and seemingly endless. Try it out, and then let The Hype Machine know what you think.

DJ Caruso and Emmy Rossum invite users ‘Inside’ one...

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:54:00 -0700

DJ Caruso and Emmy Rossum invite users ‘Inside’ one of the first social films

If you like thrillers, the internet, the idea of being in a movie and have been looking for a way to combine these interests for a long time, then wait no more. Director DJ Caruso has the vanity project for you: his new social media film experiment ‘Inside.’

The premise is relatively simple. Emmy Rossum stars as Christina, a 20-something who finds herself trapped in a room with nothing but a computer. Viewers and internet users then get to play a key role in her attempts to free herself. DJ Caruso and team will cast real social media users, and those people will get to interact with and influence Rossum’s character.

Almost every crime procedural TV show or movie has done some episode where a killer broadcasts a murder via untraceable web connection, has hits kill victims faster, some super computer uses wireless to direct electronics to kill us, and so on. DJ Caruso even got in on the technology thriller game with 2008’s ‘Eagle Eye,’ but ‘Inside’ will challenge him, Rossum, writers and crew to execute a story that actually calls upon and engages ordinary social media and internet users live.

Social media users can audition to play a role in ‘Inside’ now. Then, on Monday, July 25th, pieces of the film will be released on various social media platforms until the film’s conclusion. All parts will be collected and edited together after that and released as a single project on August 14, 2011. Judging whether or not the film works or sucks will, of course, happen concurrently.

For all updates related to ‘Inside,’ keep an eye on TheInsideExperience.com.

Karmin Covers Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” with...

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 13:59:42 -0700

Karmin Covers Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” with Questlove

Questlove knows everybody. That isn’t the point here, but I always forget that, and then he does things like pop up on semi-random covers of Nicki Minaj singles to remind folks. At least the artists he works with are usually deserving.

Right now, Karmin are known more for their YouTube covers than their original songs, but I’m curious to see where they go. Amy Renee has a retro-pop flavor of cuteness about her, but her voice is fuller than I might have expected. There’s a soulful element that adds something to the sunshine cover of a track that’s already upbeat. This is perfect for a sunny Saturday.

From popculturebrain: First listen: Patrick Stump’s new single...

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:58:22 -0700

From popculturebrain:

First listen: Patrick Stump’s new single “This City” feat. Lupe Fiasco | The A.V. Club

This is the first of Stump’s solo tracks that could be a huge hit.

I love how this is poised to be anthemic, and then Lupe drops a verse about socio-political problems in the middle real quick. Never change, Lupe.

Before seeing him perform the songs live, I kind of hated Patrick Stump’s solo EP, “Truant Wave.” There’s something about how intricately the songs are laid down that made it interesting but not a whole lot of fun to listen leisurely. Good for me, but not good to me, perhaps. After sitting with for some time, I’ve found tracks getting stuck in my head, so now I’m curious about what the full-length album will bring.

That is, if it ever gets an official release date. “Soul Punk” is currently later for late summer. AKA eventually.

JJ Abrams and Jonathan Nolan team up for ‘Person of...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:16:37 -0700

JJ Abrams and Jonathan Nolan team up for ‘Person of Interest’

I’m only just picking my way through news about the Upfronts this year. So far, the shows listed as top contenders by different media outlets have me thinking that this year fall television will be suited to my interests. It’s almost eerie how appealing shows like ‘Awake’ and ‘Up All Night’ are to me in very particular ways. I’ll need to investigate whether someone has been sneaking into my room at night and stealing my dreams, but before that, let’s talk about ‘Person of Interest.’

I somehow missed that JJ Abrams and Jonathan Nolan are working together. JJ Abrams loves to use magical realism and supernatural concepts to build suspense. Jonathan “Jonah” Nolan is director Christopher Nolan’s brother (although, for some reason, Chris Nolan is British and Jonah is sort of an American bro) who cowrote ‘The Dark Knight.’ This fall, JJ Abrams’ penchant for subtly creepy world-building self is producing a show Nolan’s created that brings those elements into reality.

As Abrams describes it in the video above:

“That idea of having people who are very much human and very real, and yet at the same that doing things that are without questions very heroic—that was a very exciting prospect.”

Aka Batman is Jim Caviezel but crazier and actually kills people. AKA Happy Birthday to me!

I’ve somehow developed a weird aversion to Jim Caviezel, but now I can’t remember why. Perhaps my general annoyance at ‘The Passion of the Christ’ as a film has fallen on his shoulders in part. That’s unfortunate, but Caviezel was also in ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ and excelled at revenge. Now I can’t wait to see him spend several episodes punishing people for potential crimes and then inevitably having some moral dilemmas later, since Caviezel’s also talented portraying characters who cry about personal responsibility. LOST’s Michael Emerson also gets his disturbing on again, and IMDB tells me that Taraji P. Henson, the Oscar-nominated BAMF of heart (yes, that is a thing) will play the lead female, but she must not show up in the pilot much since she hasn’t been featured in any of the press materials.

I can’t wait. Don’t let me down, Jonah and JJ! There are too many gold elements here.

‘Person of Interest’ will air Thursdays this fall and is among the preview pilots scheduled for the 2011 Comic-con in San Diego.

Rob Zombie directs “Torturer” commercial for...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:40:00 -0700

Rob Zombie directs “Torturer” commercial for Woolite

Not even the Clorox song about mama’s magic can withstand the coolness of this new laundry detergent ad.

I’m not sure what’s more amazing: that Woolite asked Rob Zombie to create a commercial for them or they he agreed. Although Zombie doesn’t seem too sure either.

“It’s a very bizarre TV commercial for a product like this,” said Zombie. “Honestly, I was shocked when they called me to do it.”

[via thedailywhat]

A special message from Dexter Morgan ‘Dexter’ is...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:21:00 -0700

A special message from Dexter Morgan

‘Dexter’ is coming back this fall, and I couldn’t be more anxious about it. I finally got over my ridiculous fear of watching seasons 2 - 5 this year. I enjoyed the first season one so much that I thought nothing could compare, but this year I caught up, continued to love it, and crave new episodes every day.

Plus, Mos Def has joined the cast this round. Colin Hanks will play Dexter’s biggest opponent this season, but even a few episodes of Mos and Michael C. Hall playing opposite one another should be a great time for me.

Cris Cab covers Kanye West’s ‘All of the...

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:52:00 -0700

Cris Cab covers Kanye West’s ‘All of the Lights’

Cris Cab hails from Miami and writes reggae-flavored pop tunes, but he’s probably still most known for his covers, which is how I came across him. If I hadn’t been too busy doing nothing useful last week, I might’ve posted Cris Cab’s reinterpretation of “All of the Lights” on Kanye’s birthday. Since I didn’t, it’s here now, because this song has been stuck in my head for last hour.

The original tracks from Cris Cab are fairly infectious as well. Blogs keep trying to tell me his song “Good Girls” should be a summer anthem, but I like the groove of “No Hatred” more. You can get both on his debut EP, “Foreward,” now available on iTunes.

aquma: Here’s the cover art for my latest EP. The awesome Maré...

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:39:13 -0700

aquma:

Here’s the cover art for my latest EP. The awesome Maré Odomo did the sketch.

Download

Fun samples mixed in with 8-bit synths, video games, and hip-hop.

Follow him @ aquma.tumblr.com

New ‘Luther’ Series 2 Trailer Online After a whole...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:01:11 -0700

New ‘Luther’ Series 2 Trailer Online

After a whole lot of silence and rumor, news about the BBC crime drama ‘Luther’ is finally starting to surface. To say that I’ve been sitting on my hands, salivating in anticipation of even the smallest bit of information about more of this series is, really, only a completely accurate representation of my life.

I love a lot of things: ridiculous pop music, rom coms, Zac Efron, bubblegum-flavored popsicles, etc. I don’t love any kind of entertainment more than I love a really intense narrative about sociopaths and crime. ‘Luther’ delivers Alice Morgan (played by Ruth Wilson), a woman who may have killed her own parents, and then seals the deal by adding a genius but possibly unhinged detective in the form of Idris Elba. His character, DCI John Luther, starts out hunting Alive in the first series but over time, the two build a twisted friendship that culminates in Alice helping John evade murder charges.

Series 2 will pick up right in the middle of that debacle and introduce a brand new mystery. According to TV by the Numbers, the new series features “a masked man wanders the streets of London, carrying out ritualistic murders in historic locations, working his way up to one final masterpiece.”

If you haven’t seen this show, find it. Watch it. Get ready to writhe in a joyful fashion over series 2. ‘Luther’ premieres October 2011 on BBC One.

Shia LaBeouf Directs Video for Kid Cudi’s...

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:20:17 -0700

Shia LaBeouf Directs Video for Kid Cudi’s ‘Marijuana’

After Shia LaBeouf directed Cage’s music video for “I Never Knew You” in 2009, it’s not too surprising that he’s trying his hand at more. It’s not even that surprising that he ended up running around with Kid Cudi since Cage does appear on Cudi’s latest album, Man in the Moon II.

In 2010, it was rumored that the music video for the song — “Maniac” — might be directed by LaBeouf. Because that was back in November, I forgot about it. A few months feels more like an entire era when it comes to online buzz, but it looks like the trio are still spending time together, smoking weed more than creating anything, but let’s take it one step at a time.

The video for “Marijuana” looks like a Flipcam diary more than anything. It’s the kind of lazy, intimate vibe that words best for a song about a favorite, lazy recreational drug. There’s nothing hugely engaging about it except for the small sense of voyeurism, but I’m still curious to see how a dark video for “Maniac” may get realized.

[via thedailywhat]

‘Another Earth’ Seems Like A Space Movie I Might...

Wed, 18 May 2011 10:00:00 -0700

‘Another Earth’ Seems Like A Space Movie I Might Dig

When a friend sent me the trailer for “Another Earth,” I was initially skeptical. I thought, “ugh, I hate when it’s aliens,” which is what I always think about space-related movies. Obviously there are exceptions, but I find a lot of invasion movies annoying, and my least favorite plot twist in the whole world is when — surprise! — aliens were behind the mystery the whole time! (Dear ‘The Forgotten’: die in a fiat.) By the time I got about 20 seconds into this trailer, though, I decided to board the “Another Earth” train anyway, because it seems like it’s potentially heading into a town I want to visit after all.

Awkwardly-proportioned aliens who need a sandwich or two aren’t my style, but the kind of messed up existential confusion shown here definitely could be. In an with daemonsmovies.com, lead actor William Mapother says that it’s not about immediate danger or planetary threat at all, really. Instead, the movie uses science fiction to tell a story about human connection.

“Another Earth” won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance 2011, and it’s now slated for a July 22nd release.