The Short Film Genre

So there is a new genre in town that I am falling in love with. It is the short films. And there seem to be quite a few very good ones around lately I thought I would mention a few of them. I'm not exactly sure what makes them so good, of course it is a multitude of small things. They are really just bite-sized nuggets of life that are intentional in their presentation, something that is missed in current media frenzy market. I dont know, its like good photography taken one dimension further. So anyway here are three of my favorites, all slightly different in their style. Granted they all have a touch of romance (dont judge me) but hey thats life. Hope you enjoy these, the higher quality version is worth it so make sure to turn that on.

Word Builder
This one has been pretty popular lately so if you haven't already seen it, by all means it is worth it. First of all the sheer art of it. One day in filming, two years in post production. That is amazing. And its got a little bit of a geeky side to satisfy.



Signs
This is a cuter story about comunication and yet it has no words ... actually none of these do. It represtents the most traditial filming style at least.



Notte Sento
This film rounds out this little list with a bit of stop motion. Very imprssive stop motion I might add. Its in Ittalina but you will figure it out.

Voice of a God

So one thing I keep a pretty good handle on is my list of people that I hope God sounds like. I mean come one we have all thought about it. Mine changes occasionally and to try and accommodate different types of voices or different styles of speaking. But pretty consistently at the top of my list, and I would imagine many others, is that of Morgan Freeman. This picture pretty much illustrates why.

I mean that is pretty close to the truth right there I have to say. I wish he would narrate bedtime stories. But that is actually a really nice segway into my next point about the man. I think we should start a petition to have the American version of Planet Earth be re dubbed with his voice. Attenbouroh is respectable hugely respectable and often ends up on that list I talked about but Sigourney Weaver? Really? I cant stand her compared to Attenbouroh. But how amazing would it be to fall in love with our planet to the soothing tones of Morgan Freeman. Think about it ... that could possibly make Planet Earth the best thing to ever be shown on a television ... ever. And have a little self respect Freeman, penguins are bush league ... take on the planet.

[ROLFLRAZZI]

A True American Hero

A few days ago, a little soul with a dream inspired a nation. It did not run for office, or promise change, it did not make headline news or tabloid racks. No my friends, it did what nothing of its kind had ever done before. And it was great. Yes I am talking about Spacebat. The little critter that could who followed his dreams to the end and died realizing his greatest one. I will not go back and tell his story but you can read it here. It is an awe inspiring tale and this video pays tribute to a true hero. Amidst a world lacking in true passion and bravery, with icons that disappoint, Spacebat is a ray of hope for us all. You will forever occupy are hearts. Godspeed spacebat.



[Gizmodo]

Rap Around the World

So this has been a popular video in the last day or so but I thought it was pretty freaking cool. I mean this is why you just gotta love Southwest Airlines (despite them not giving you an assigned seat that is). But this guys has a job to do and he does it but it is interesting. God forbid. Anyway take a look and remember this guy next time some flight attendant shows you how to buckle a seat belt.



[TBT]

Back Again

Well hello everybody. I am back ... again. I know my recent return to the world of blogging was shorter than I expected but that unfortunately happens some times. For those of you who care I have been pledging a fraternity (dont judge me) for the last couple of weeks and haven't even had time to get to my reader. And I'm a little OCD so that has not been the most pleasant experience seeing 1000+ up in my little corner every day. But I do have a folder full of stuff to share so without further adue, let us re-enter the pensive.

Chistmas "Down in Africa"

So those of you who know me know that I am really not a big fan of Christmas music. It is over played, played for way to long, and guess what I have heard it all before. I'm going to stop myself there because I have no empty boxes of soap laying around and it could get ugly. So I will digress to share with you some Christmas music that I really did enjoy. This choir from Indiana I believe has put together a rather remarkable arrangement of music that is truly Remixed. Now its worth a chuckle until it gets to the 2 min mark and they drop a musical atom bomb. Lets just say Toto is involved and it is glorious. This is the stuff to get me in the season.



via [Awesomology]

How God Intended Man to Drive

Of course Hollywood gives us an unrealistic picture of how amazing driving can be. I mean no one can get in a car and pull the kind of things they do in the Italian Job. Well I'm pretty sure Ken Block can. I mean I'll be real honest, I'm not a car guy. I dont know how many horsepower the new M6 has got but I do know that this guy knows how its done. Sit back and prepare to be amazed.



[DYH]

Not Fit for Print Roundup

This Edition of Not Fit for Print is going to look a little bit different. While I have taken a break from blogging for the last couple of months, I have not taken a break from filling my "to blog" folder with interesting tidbits. So I thought I would group several funny news stories together where the title really does say it all.

Man Nearly Dies After Lover Carves Heart on His Chest

A Canadian woman has pleaded guilty to stabbing her boyfriend, nearly killing him, in a botched sex game in which he asked her to carve a heart-shaped symbol on his chest. [Link]

I believe botched is an understatement or someone doesn't understand the meaning of the word game.

Rescue Planned for Woman Trapped by Giant Pig

A huge pig called Bruce has trapped a terrified woman in her home in Australia. [Link]

Why would Bruce do such a thing???

OMG, 007! British Spy Agency Recruiting on Facebook

Britain's MI6 foreign intelligence service confirms it's running recruitment ads on Facebook. [Link]

Are you sure its not a middle aged man posing as someone else ... or wait, that might be his job in this particular case.

Pony Falls Into Pool After Getting Drunk on Rotten Apples

A horse in England wandered into a swimming pool after getting drunk on fermented apples Tuesday, the Daily Mail reports. [Link]

I'm gonna have to stop you there sir. No more Apples for you, oh and let me have that saddle, your not ridding home like that.

Snake on a Plane Gives Cabin Crew the Slip

An Air India flight turned into a real-live take on Samuel L. Jackson’s 'Snakes on a Plane,' when a slithery stowaway was spotted under a seat, according to a report from Agence France-Presse. [Link]

Somebody's got to get these motherF#%$ing snakes of this motherF#%$ing plane.

This has been a continuation of the Not Fit for Print series featuring absurd headlines from our trusted news sources.

Kodak Moment? Probably Not

So its the middle of the week and I thought it would be healthy if everyone just smiled. So to help us all achieve this I have a little visual stimuli. This was the subject of a caption contest over at GorillaSushi and while there are probably a million captions that fit, I would prefer just to sit back and marvel at the pure absurdity of it. This is artwork people.



via GorillaSushi

The Big G is Watching You

In an attempt to further distract myself from studying for my impending Spanish test, I thought I would share a little something with you that happened to me yesterday. This particular story actually starts over thanksgiving break while I was doing a little Christmas shopping in the mall. I some how made it out of a department store without the aid of a gas mask when I walked by a little Tea shop. Now I am a big fan of tea. In Prague last year I visited a great little tea house with tons of different teas, I wish we did that here instead of Starbucks. Anywho I was enjoying this tea store in the mall, getting very excited about what all from there I was going to add to my Christmas list, grabbed the brochure and headed on my way. Well here I am a week later sitting at my computer checking my email when low and behold up at the top of my gmail inbox (you know the strip with the adds or news stories or whatnot) is the website of the exact store I had been in. Holy crap google is tracking me to improve its add placement. I mean I even thought, well maybe I mentioned it in an email I sent or something ... yeah, no. So there you go folks, your secrets are now the big G's secrets. Get used to it.

If you were wondering about that store and didnt want to wait for it to pop up in your inbox [Teavana]