Michael Kormack is an American illustrator who has worked for many famous companies like Blizzard, Catalyst Game Labs, Electronic Arts, Sony Online Entertainment, Ubisoft, Upper Deck Entertainment.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
REJECT RADIO
 After two years of operation, Flickchart has gathered an incredible amount of information supplied by movie fans on what their favorite movies are. On the cusp of finding out what “the best movie of the year is” from a bunch of people in tuxedos, the popular ranking website’s co-founder, Nathan Chase, joins me to discuss what makes us tick, the illusion of objectivity, and the mathematical search for greatness.
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Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:13 AM PST  While you’ll see that I’m giving myself a lot of leeway in the following list (one of the ten isn’t even technically a film), the general idea is that the list that follows singles out films that go beyond simple narration, but rather identify themselves as stories being told either in the universe or even at times outside of the universe. Narration to a film is like a frame to a painting, and while all frames hold their painting in place, there are some that do it with a little more style than others. These are some of my favorites. 10. The Royal TenenbaumsThis is as literal as a movie gets without ever actually showing someone telling the story to anyone else. The film is like a presentation of a book form of itself, making it technically the retelling of a story. It has a prologue, chapters, and an epilogue all visually laid out for the audience. Each character is not only presented with flat-out exposition upon their introduction in the story, but also introduced ahead of time in a single montage that simply sums up their name, who plays them, and gives a visual representation of their character. Clearly the line is a bit blurred with this one, but I wanted to talk about it mainly for the reason. This seems to be a regular thing for Wes Anderson films – his films exist in this weird semi-reality where through editing and sometimes characters the story is presented to us in this odd, made up formality – almost like a fancy three course meal that consists only of candy. Alec Baldwin is the chocolate. 9. Forrest Gump It feels like nowadays poor Forrest wouldn’t even stand a chance to get a fellow bench partner’s attention, let alone be able to keep their interest with a story. No – now we have something called smart phones and they are designed to keep the Forrest Gumps of the world safely muffled in the background. Don’t get me wrong, 9 times out of 10 that’s probably a good thing, but then there is that one time where the slow guy at the bus stop happens to be worth more than the lives of you and everyone you love – such as the story of Gump. Of course what makes the entire story he tells so endearing is that along with his personal story, it’s the story of the United States – but through his eyes. That’s really the key to the whole film, following this one very simple, very kind man through every important historical event of the last several decades. He participates in it but almost as an outsider due to his lack of full understanding of the specifics. Because of Gump’s disinterest in the bad, we get a telling of history without any cynicism in the mix – a child’s perspective. Over the course of the story you never really suspect that this Jenny, his number one priority throughout the entire film, is the reason he is sitting at that bus stop. Where he sits is actually the threshold to this love story’s third act, and it’s only in the last few moments of the story does that become apparent. Once it does – the story seamlessly transitions out of Gump’s narration and continues into the present, and for the first time we get to watch it all play out at the same time our hero does. And that’s all I have to say about that. 8. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang This…probably doesn’t actually count. I’m not sure… I’m not even sure how to classify the narration of this film, because it’s done by Robert Downey Jr. from the perspective of his character, but is also self-aware that the movie is well, a movie. It’s as if while all the events and characters and action and such exist in the universe of the film, the narration exists beyond the fourth wall. He’s not telling us a “story” – no, he’s telling us a “movie.” And while doing so he even comments on how well he is doing it – sometimes even commenting on the quality and believability of the plot itself. At one he even loses it when a character that you think is dead makes a cheesy recovery, talking about how studios executives are too scared to kill likable characters off and that they might as well bring everyone back – which for a moment the film actually does per his request. It’s actually kind of the way you’d expect Robert Downey Jr. to narrate any film – he skips around, goes off on tangents, he even messes up a part and curses himself before getting back to it. In the end they do finally break that wall and show him telling the story – and yes, it’s just him sitting and looking right at us, recognizing us as people watching a movie. 7. Big Fish Okay, it’s fifty/fifty with this one, as half the movie is a told story and the other half of the film exists in the world that the story is told in, with an eye to how the stories effect the characters. This is not so much about the narration itself, but more about the personality of who’s telling the story. In this case it’s a man with a talent for exaggeration. This is, of course, kind of the point of the whole film, as it follows the struggle the man’s son has dealing with a father who never quite tells the truth about anything. It actually reminds me of an article on The Onion about the woman who regrets dating someone spontaneous. It’s all fun in games at first, but then if you have to deal with him regularly suddenly it’s a real pain in the ass. That’s the deal with this character – the stories are wonderful until you actually want to get a true account of something, then it’s incredibly frustrating. Of course as the audience we could care less how much he exaggerates – which is why it’s so fun to watch the entire retelling of a man’s life done in grand form. It’s fitting as the storyteller is doing so at the very last days of his life – leading up to his son finally understanding the value of embellishment. The payoff is when the son starts actually investigating the man’s life on his own and finds that his exaggerated life story is actually surprisingly closer to reality than one would expect. 6. The Singing Detective So, if I really wanted to, I could make this fit the film genre by choosing the Robert Downey Jr. and Mel Gibson movie remake of the original BBC miniseries, but frankly I just can’t do that. Whatever – I’m not excluding this, so you’ll just have to sit there and take it. The story being told in this case is rather unique – it’s your classic serial detective story, but the narrative is that of a man telling the story back to himself – or rather, thinking it all up. This is because this man, a novelist, happens to be in the hospital bedridden and covered in sores due to a skin condition. Refusing any painkillers, we not only follow his story in the hospital but also the detective narrative that runs in his own agony-diluted brain. Along with this story we also get to follow his memories as a child dealing with a mother who has an affair with his father and leaves him. Things get especially fun when, due to our narrator losing his mind, the stories of his childhood and the singing detective begins to slowly melt into each other as well as coming into the waking world of the hospital. Suddenly you can’t tell what’s real and what’s just paranoid delusions as characters begin to scheme behind his back in the real world as they would in on of his novels. This is one of those things you kind of have to watch a few times – not only because the actual detective story, like any good detective story, is hard to follow – but also because the entire series is just one big beautiful mess. |
CYBERPUNK 17
A couple of days ago, a cyberpunk 3D style digital artworksbrought to our attention. It is the portfolio of Kazuhiko Nakamura from Japan. He was inspired by surrealism and cyberpunk styles of art when he was young.
He is a self-taught 3D digital artist since 1996 and he's gotten chance to exhibit his mechanical style arts in various exhibitions. I'm really digging Kazuhiko's work, the 3d portraits in particular. His portfolio is really impressive! Please have a look into his portfolio Mechanicalmirage.com
Surreal Cyberpunk Digital arts By Kazuhiko Nakamura
Thursday, February 16, 2012
TALK TO THE HAND
If something has been around for nearly forever, that must surely mean that everyone knows about it, or in the case of body gestures, knows what it means. Or does it? As it turns out, that idea is a bit wrong.
1.
Talk to the Hand
What we think it means:
”Bro, seriously, I don’t give a FUCK about last night’s episode of Glee”
To tell someone to “talk to the hand” is to tell someone to take their words and shove ‘em. This works especially well when passing kiosks in the mall selling herbal remedies and hippie pubic hairs.
What it actually means:
If, when speaking to someone in Greek, a person makes the talk to the hand gesture with their fingers open, they’re basically saying that your family was shit. This is because the gesture in Greece is known as Moutza. Moutza goes back to the insane laws of Byzantium. In Byzantium, a chained criminal was sat, facing backwards, on a donkey and had their face smeared with cinder in disgrace. The cinder was collected in a person’s palm and then –Moutza! – spread all over the prisoner’s face.
2.
Shaka Sign (Hang Loose)
What we think it means:
”Dude, the waves are wicked gnarly today!”
The Shaka Sign, or ‘hang loose’ as most surfers interpret it, is an ancient Hawaiian way of waving. Surfers nowadays take the wave (as in greeting or acknowledgment) to mean wave (as in big wall of water ready to end your shit).
What it actually means:
According to the Polynesian Cultural Center (which our live-in ethnologist told us was probably the best resource for Polynesian-based culture in the world) the Shaka Sign derived from local folklore. You see, there was this guy named Hamana Kalili, who we’re just gonna call He-Man, from now on, who worked on the local sugar mill. Well, one day He-Man and The Masters of The Sugar Mill were working on the, uh, sugar mill, when He-Man lost his three middle fingers.
He-Man, not being the lazy type, still wanted to work on the sugar mill so his employers allowed him to guard the sugar trucks. When He-Man saw that the coast was clear, he would wave back to everyone with his thumb and pinkie finger.
3.
Thumbs Up
What we think it means:
“I have given you my approval”
The thumbs up is the most popular form of hand-gesture-based support still active today. When the thumbs up is given, it is assumed that the person doing it is giving their approval. You’d give the thumbs up if your friend got that high-paying promotion he/she was vying for, if your favorite team made it to the playoffs, or if the government rounded up all reality TV producers and stuffed them in Guantanamo Bay. There are even entire professions based around the thumbs up. Don’t believe us? Go check out your local movie reviews real quick.
…Yeah, don’t get so uppity next time, bitch.
What it actually means:
Back in the days of the Roman gladiators, a thumbs up meant that the winning gladiator had the emperor’s approval to execute the loser. You see, in the times of savage, manly men there were no consolation prizes and you didn’t get a participant’s trophy – you either won or you lost. In the end it was often pretty easy to spot the victor (hint: he was still breathing).
In these times, the thumbs up was known by the name police verso, or, the turned thumbs. Interestingly enough, in Ancient Rome, approval used to be conveyed by giving the thumbs down, or, pressing down the thumb. This indicates that our view of the thumbs up for approval comes directly from our thirst for violence. We gave the thumbs up back then to let everyone know that the loser was just too pathetic to live and we approved of his execution. If we took the thumbs up into historical context today, most of our beloved actors, directors, and screenwriters would have been put to death a long time ago. Though in some cases this might not be a bad thing.
Any critic who liked this should have their thumbs removed.
4.
Handshake
What we think it means:
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
The handshake is the most popular form of formal greeting and, as many self-help and motivational books claim, it can make or break any/all business relationships.
What it actually means:
“I have not come here to kill you.”
In times of strife, military leaders used to greet one another with open palms in order to show that they were interested in diplomacy and not violence. Actually, given the state of capitalism, we suppose this one is pretty similar.
5.
Saying “God Bless You” After A Sneeze
What we think it means:
“Oh, how unfortunate, you sneezed.”
Seriously though, no one really knows what this means anymore. Though some claim that saying “God bless you” is a way to cram your soul back into your body after the devil takes it, most really say it without thinking about its meaning.
What it actually means:
In 6th century Europe, saying “God bless you” was approximately the same as saying “Well, you lived a good life, I’ll be praying for you.” This is because sneezing was one of the first symptoms of the dreaded bubonic plague. Per Pope Gregory the Great’s request, people would ask for God’s blessing in an attempt to ward off the infestation and/or make their death less painful or horrible.
6.
Nodding
What we think it means:
“I agree with that” or “Pour me another one”
The nod has two connotations: one means approval, this one is commonly seen in polite conversation or when guys are trying to score with hot sociology chicks and want to appear like their listening. The second meaning conveys acknowledgement and is popularly used in bars to let the barkeep know that you two have seen each other and you would like another drink.
What it actually means:
According to Charles Darwin, when babies breastfeed their heads move up and down in search of the nipple when they are hungry and move their heads side to side when they are refusing nourishment.
7.
Kissing
What we think it means:
“I love you and would like to display my affection thusly.”
Kissing is the most popular and most powerful display of affection that humans do in public. We like to think that letting our mouths touch is the subconscious desire to affirm our love and our longing to be closer.
What it actually means:
Oh yes, Freud will have a field day with this one. It’s interesting to note that speculation has arisen that claims that the first kisses were shared between mother and child. This means that children carried this maternal affection into their personal relationships. Also, there’s something interesting that says that Japan was not familiar with kisses of romantic affection until the 19th century.
Damnit Freud! IS NOTHING SACRED?!
8.
The Fist Bump
What we think it means:
“Yo D-O to the double G, I’m down with the urban culture.”
The fist bump is beginning to challenge the high-five in the category of social-gestures-that-we-could-really-do-without. Most of its popularization began in the NBA and it has become inseparable with greetings of familiarity and respect.
What it actually means:
“Get your germy mitts away from me!”
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