May 5th 2010
Posted under awesome & movies & video
This is the real trailer for the movie Machete; originally a fake trailer created for the movie(s) Grindhouse.
It. Looks. Awesome.
I hope it debuts at Fantasia this year…
Archive for the 'video' Category
March 13th 2010
Posted under awesome & juggling & video
Montreal is well known by circus affectionados. Although primarily dominated by the Cirque du Soleil, one venue that I keep going back to in the Tohu. It offers some incredible circus performances in a small intimate setting. I have mentioned several shows I have seen there, but last night I saw one of the best shows ever. It is called PSY and is the newest show from the troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main. I had seen their previous show La Vie and loved it, so there was no way I was missing this one.
PSY in French is short for psychiatrist. The show’s stars are all suffering from a different psychological issue. Whether it is insomnia, schizophrenia, agoraphobia, dependency or anger issues, they are all there waiting to see their psychiatrist. Some parts of the show are from when they have to interact with each other and others are by their flashbacks. Two of my favourite scenes involved the same guy. In one, he remembered his 8th birthday and everybody appeared as it did so long ago. They were about to play “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”, but instead of a normal knife, they had juggling knives. One actress started club spinning with the juggling knives. There is something hot about women spinning knives and acting psychotic… or maybe I’m just insane as well. The other scene with the guy involved juggling and a cane. It was a scene outside and people would keep passing by where their object was a juggling pin instead of the actual object. A homeless man had a pin inside a paper bag (bottle), one couple were nursing a pin (baby), a dog had a pin in his mouth (stick), etc. He would grab these object and start juggling or balancing them with his cane. It was quite fun to watch. Part of what made this show so enjoyable was the mesh between acting and circus. There was a story being told and the circus elements blended in with the rest. Everybody has their own skill and it was all fleshed out depending on their addiction.
The music was also great. Most of it was a sort of techno/old school recordings and it sometimes felt like I was at a DJ Shadow or Kid Koala concert. The acts all worked in sync with the music playing, and in case I never mentioned before, I LOVE that. I could go on and on about the show, but it just won’t do it justice. It is the type of show you need to see to properly enjoy, but hopefully this video will give you a glimpse of what it is like.
Tonight was the last night it played at the Tohu, but if ever it comes in a venue near you, you really should check it out.
December 7th 2009
As promised, here’s a new post on some music you might not know about. Today, I want to introduce Cursor Miner. Considering how difficult it was for me to purchase his cds, I wouldn’t say he’s the most popular DJ out there… but his music should definitely be played more often.
I first discovered his music from a flash video I randomly came upon one day. It was extremely catchy and I would listen to it on repeat. Eventually I bought his cd, and started listening to that over and over. He releases some mixes now and then on his website [ed: seems his website no longer exists.. unless he's entered the realm of colon cleansing... check out his myspace page instead], and they usually find their way in my playlist. I’m going to post two songs by him today; the first being the original flash video I saw, and the second a song from one of his cds. (no video though) Enjoy!
November 30th 2009
Regarding the previous post, I had to go look up some old Quebec videos. For me, that means one thing: miniputt! For some reason, we used to worship minigolf. It played on the sports channel among all the other great sports and what made it so great was the announcer. Sometimes I like to scream out a “BIRRRRRR-DEE!” in public, and strangely, nobody looks at me weird. That show is legend, and it deserved its spot at Total Crap 6. Watch the videos below to understand what I mean!
November 30th 2009
Last month, I had a chance to go check out the Spasm Festival. It is mainly a movie festival where they play (mostly) Quebec horror and genre films. I had never gone in the past, which is curious since I love Fantasia so much. This year, I grabbed some friends and went to see the Quebec trash montage, properly called “Total Crap 6″, and it was awesome. There were so many snippets of old tv shows and movies that were so horrible that we couldn’t stop laughing. The intro video they picked is not from Quebec, but it was pretty funny, so I decided to add it as a bonus to Music Monday. It is a video from Christian rock/ska band “Sonseed”. From now when I hear this song, I want to go find some old Quebec videos… hmm.. watch the next post. 
November 30th 2009
I have not been very consistent lately on the blog. I have been rather busy and I have neglected my duties as a web information peon. In order to try to post on a more regular basis, I have decided to do a “Music Monday” post. Every Monday, I will (try) to write a blog entry about a band or song that I like. My taste in music is somewhat different than the “club scene norm”, so hopefully I will be introducing some new bands to some of you.
Today, I want to introduce you to the Penguin Café Orchestra. They have been around for a while, but I have only started listening to them recently. I heard one of their songs on a Café Del Mar album, and I fell in love. Something feels slightly off when you listen to them, but it is that touch of individuality that makes them interesting. You probably heard one of their most popular songs on “Napoleon Dynamite” near the end of the film. It is the same song that I heard on the Café Del Mar album, and it is called “Music For A Found Harmonium”.
My only gripe with that live rendition is the constant humming of the (I’m guessing) harmonium. It is not as loud in the record studio version. Another song I quite like is “Perpetuum Mobile”, though it is probably not as known.
I think from those two samples you can get a clear idea as to why I enjoy their music so much. I will try to keep this schedule and talk about more music next week.
November 7th 2009
Posted under juggling & technology & video
I love the audio/visual. I’ve owned my DLSR for a couple of years, but I have never owned a camcorder. I was going to wait until there is a Nikon SLR body with proper 1080p video capabilities, but I figured I could get something smaller for now and upgrade later. I ended up choosing the waterproof Sanyo VPC-CA9 720p camcorder. It is not the best quality, but it is not too shabby either. It can go up to 5 feet underwater, so I will not be afraid of getting it wet outside. I have already tested it in my Oktoberfest mug!
While I have done a bunch of sample videos, I finally uploaded something online. It is probably the least suitable video to show off the HD, but that doesn’t matter. It is another video of me juggling my glowballs. Once again, there is nothing impressive in this video, but I had fun doing it. One thing I discovered is that I really enjoy finding the proper audio to go with my video. I’ll probably shoot some more footage in the coming weeks and post something more interesting. Until then, enjoy the short video. Or, if you prefer, watch it in HD.
July 13th 2009
Posted under movies & reviews & video
It is currently day five of the festival, and although I have seen 8 films so far, I have only posted 1 review. I apologize for my tardiness, but I have not had much time to go online, and my laptop is not getting as much attention as it used to. I will post the rest of my reviews shortly, although I will try to bunch up the average films together into one post. For now, you can read up my review for Ip Man, the second movie that I saw on the opening night.
Ip Man is a biopic on the martial arts grandmaster Ip Man. He was the first person to openly teach Wing Chun, a martial art that is most greatly known thanks to one of Ip Man’s students, Bruce Lee. This movie takes place around the same time as WW2 and we follow Ip Man’s life during that era. While it is hard to tell how much the film exaggerates his past, it provides a rich visual history of Ip Man’s life.
I love watching kung-fu movies, and this felt like a modern version of the classic Kung Fu films. There are no crouching tigers or hidden dragons here. This is pure kung fu between people who actually know how to fight. Donnie Yen (Seven Swords, Hero) does a great job here portraying Ip Man. He is a skilled fighter, so when there are fights onscreen, they look fantastic. You can feel every punch and kick, and the great soundtrack adds to each hit, making it just that more enjoyable. While newer movies rely on wire work and CGI, these fights look a lot more realistic and it creates an awesome viewing experience.
I really enjoyed Ip Man. If you like kung fu, then this movie is a no-brainer. It is deserving of being release here with subtitles, and if it ever does get shown, I will go and see it again!
July 11th 2009
Posted under movies & reviews & video
Yesterday was the first day of the Fantasia Film Festival. As many are aware, I look forward to this festival every year, and it never dissapoints. Sure, some movies are duds, but overall, my experience has always been positive. Last night, I got to see two movies, and if the rest of the festival is as good as these were, I am in for a real treat!
The first film came to us from Japan from none other than Takashi Miike! His movies span to both extremes, from the ultra violent (Ichi the Killer) to child friendly (The Great Yokai War). Last year, he entertained us with Sukiyaki Western Django, which I greatly enjoyed. This time, Miike has tackled an old animé from the 70s called Yatterman. I’ve never seen the cartoon, but knowing the other animé from that era, I know it had to be zany. (For some reason, I keep thinking of Samurai Pizza Cats, even if that came out in the 90s). What I didn’t expect was for the movie to be as equally zany, if not, possible more.
Not since the Cutie Honey movie (well at least the first 15 minutes of that movie), did I see a movie recreate so well the world of an animé. The actors, especially the bad guys, portrayed their characters perfectly, that at some points you can easily forget that this is a live action movie. Nothing makes much sense, but that is easily forgivable in this cartoon-ish world.
The cartoon revolved around Yatterman #1 and Yatterman #2 (boyfriend and girlfriend respectively) who battle the Doronbo gang, which consists of the leader (and damn beautiful) lady Doronjo, and her two minions, Tonzra and Boyacky. They are all trying to find the Skull Stone, each for their own reasons. Naturally, the best way for the Doronbo gang to do this is to scam the Japanese folk and build a giant mecha robot! Yatterman is not defenseless, since they have Yatterwoof, a big robot dog that they use as transportation (but gets its ass kicked all the time). The mechas are bizarre, but so much fun. Who wouldn’t enjoy a giant woman mecha who can shoot Titty Missles? Yeah, you read that right. While this looks like a kid’s movie, it is more directed to the adults who were kids back in the day. The comedy spans the whole spectrum, as in some cases the young girls behind me were giggling like crazy, while in other cases, the guys in my area were crying of laughter. (Guess who laughed more during the female mecha scenes…)
Anyways, the entire movie was a lot of fun and was an excellent way to start the festival. It plays again on July 14th, and I highly recommend it to anybody who wants a laugh. YATTERWOOF!