Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Let's go to the movies - well almost

Note from Blogger/Editor Ann Wilkes: Sorry, sf fans. I have been without Internet access at home for a week!!! I'm cobbling this post together for you at Starbucks. Now, imagine carrying on with two online classes without Internet at home. It's been a difficult week to say the least. On the other hand, my job prospects just improved tremendously. I'm even going to have benefits. Would you believe that one of them is a free monthly massage? I'm so ready for that to happen!

Can't wait to see this!



Now we nerds will have our day! And it's on YouTube!

The internet and nerddom alike are irrevocably changed with the launch of The Nerdist Channel on YouTube today. Chris Hardwick and Nerdist Industries are bringing a truckload of celebrity talent to the Nerdist Channel. They’re going to take you Face to Face with Weird Al Yankovic interviewing top celebrities. Neil Degrasse Tyson and Neil Patrick Harris will both be bringing their star power to the Nerdist Channel, one more literally than the other as Neil Degrasse Tyson is bringing his hit radio program Star Talk to the channel. Rob Zombie will be bringing his own brand of awesomeness to play in the Nerdist landscape and the Dudesons are going to take this party past the legal speed limit in Gumball 3000.

The Nerdist Channel show lineup has something for everyone. Harry Knowles has unleashed his inner puppet on the film news world in Ain’t It Cool thanks to The Henson Company. See Chris Hardwick knock famous people down a pin or two as he bowls them over in Chris Hardwick's All Star Celebrity Bowling. If your word for nerd is “otaku,” revel in Weird S#!t from Japan. And if you just like to see cute things exploding, there's a show called...uh...Cute Things Exploding. Plus new ways to experience some of your favorites like Kids in the Hall, Farscape and Simian Undercover Detective Squad.

Chris Hardwick has this to say about his brainchild, the Nerdist Channel: "Our programming mandate was simple: what would WE want to see exist in the world? Unlike many production companies or networks, we are actually IN the demographic of the content we're creating... We program stuff we love. All of our shows are very personal and we're very passionate about what they represent." You can read more of what Chris Hardwick has to say about his channel launch in his letter to Nerdist fans.

Viewers can subscribe here.


I've been getting a flurry of short film requests. I'm going to post them here without commentary. (I did mention the bad week.) You can tell me which is worth getting behind.

Hibernation is a sci-fi short film in which an astronaut has a close encounter with his female instructor rather than whatever else he expected to find in space. Not a lot to go on. Hopefully the film is better than the description.

Trailer
Campaign video


OK, these guys say their script brought them to Sundance this year.
EMIT
Yeah, it's time spelled backwards. And that's what the film is about: time running backwards.
Here's their Kickstarter page.

This is for the guys. I'll look the other way while you watch this movie in which, well, it's sexist and has boobs. Lauren Francesca has been shooting these sf clips for Barelypolitical: http://youtu.be/pgapQkMkWNU

Now if I can just track down and watch that video for school before 8PM Sunday night, things will be peachy. Have a great weekend!

3 comments:

Terri Bruce said...

Congrats on the job prospects - obviously I need to change career fields. I do NOT get a free weekly massage as part of my benefits package.

OMG I had not heard of the Nerdiest channel ::swoon:: I am SO excited! That sounds awesome.

On the other hand, WHY OH WHY did they feel the need to make an EXACT remake of Total Recall? I love the Ah-Nold version just fine! And now I feel an urge to go watch it....LOL!

Mozette said...

Aaahh, Hollywood! Don't you love it when they go and fix what's not broken? The Arny film was the best, I have it on dvd (and it was on VCR before that) and I have loved watching it since it first came out on the big screen when I went to see it.

However, why make another, duplicate film where they use the best of the best of the best technology all because the last one wasn't of the best of technology? Isn't that the reason to have the old films?

For example: I love 'Rear Window'... brilliant Hitchcock at his very best! Then, they did a film a few years back based on a teenager who was under house arrest who saw his back neighbour kill his wife... sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so.
So, why make remakes when they're a shadow of the original? Why? Because of two reasons:

1. They're greedy as hell.
2. They have run out of original ideas to make new and more fantastic films.

Ann Wilkes said...

Thanks, Terri! Glad you're excited about the Nerdist channel. We aim to please.

Mozette, might I offer another reason? 3) they know we'll pay again to see it and they're too concerned about the bottom line to take risks on somthing that hasn't been tried. They know Total Recall works.

Just watched The Thing (remake number 2!). I was unimpressed. But notice I did watch it. See what I mean?