Do you love the ’80s? Good news: RoboCop is coming back. But the ’80s didn’t have viral videos to help market new flicks. That’s why, this time around, the sci-fi film — slated for release in the summer of 2013 — is getting the hype ball rolling early with a fictitious website that recently launched for the evil OmniCorp company. The video above lives over on that site, but the YouTube version above has already racked up more than 50,000 views since Saturday. Will you go see the new RoboCop? Let us know in the comments. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/08/robocop-viral-trailer/
You want explosions? You got ’em. Just watch the teaser trailer for A Good Day to Die Hard, the fifth installment in the action-packed Die Hard series. After the explosions, Bruce Willis channels his inner James Bond as John McClane, squeezing in a nice one-liner: “The double O seven of Plainfield, New Jersey.” Will you watch this Die Hard flick when it comes out Feb. 14? Or is it time for this series to end? BONUS: 295 Movies in One Epic Remix of ‘Baby Got Back’ Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/04/a-good-day-to-die-hard-trailer/
Steve Martin has come a long way as a comedian. Before becoming a big screen star known all around the world, he started small (as most comedians do) and was known for smaller parts. Luckily for us, his first TV special, Steve Martin: A Wild and Crazy Guy, is hilarious. Martin promises his lover that he will wear something from her as good luck. Unfortunately for him, it’s not just a “pin or something,” as he expected. Watch the video above to see this classic and hilarious turtle-wrangling version of Steve Martin in one of his first comedy videos. Thanks to Official Comedy for sharing the throwback. This Week’s Hot Viral Videos ‘Simon’s Cat’ Partakes in the Animal Olympics A new “Simon’s Cat” video hit the web Saturday, and this one gets into the competitive spirit of the Olympics … with a snail race. Will Ferrell Lashes Out at Kristen ‘Trampire’ Stewart Someone give Will Ferrell a box of tissues and pint of Ben & Jerry’s because the funnyman needs help healing his broken heart. Ferrell sat down with Conan O’Brien and let his emotions spill out as he discussed the recent breakup of Twilight stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson (or “Patterson,” as Ferrell referred to him). A Real Dad Won’t Save You if You’re ‘Taken’ The 2008 thriller Taken, about an American girl kidnapped by human traffickers in Paris, raised anxiety levels for many worrywort parents. The film isn’t based on a true story, but that didn’t stop moms and dads from wondering what they would do in a similar situation. 90-Year-Old Pole Vaulter Will Make You Feel Lazy Meet Dr. William Bell, a 90-year-old fitness nut who holds a pole vault world record for his age group. Pfft, as if a bunch of buff 20-something Olympic swimmers prancing their six-packs around the pool didn’t already make us all feel like a bunch of unaccomplished cubicle potatoes this week. Envy aside, Dr. Bell could provide a helpful dose of pick-me-up to any of us feeling a bit lapsed in the physical fitness department Choo-Choo-Choose to Watch Excited Train Guy Maybe it’s the rumble of the engine or the sound of the horn, but something has this train enthusiast yelling with excitement. The railfan — yes, that’s a real thing — squeals behind the camera as a rare 1953 EA Heritage Train engine rolls through a New York station. As one YouTuber put it, “Double Trainbow!” Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/08/young-steve-martin-was-a-turtle-riding-drag-queen-video/
If an adorable robot asked you a series of personal questions (“Who do you love most in the world?” “What really scares you?”), would you be more inclined to answer than if asked by a human? As a part of a documentary project affiliated with the TriBeCa Film Festival, cute robots with video cameras for eyes have been filming people as they answer various sensitive questions. Called “Robots in Residence” and created by robot company BlabDroid, the footage collected from Friday until Sunday, April 21 from festival attendees will be pieced together for a short film. It will become the first documentary filmed entirely by pre-programmed robots. The concept is based on the “ELIZA effect,” a theory from a computer scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who believes people are more likely to engage emotionally with artificial intelligence than others. The robots are small and unassuming, with a sweet smile and the voice of a seven-year-old boy. “Tell me something you’ve never told a stranger before,” it asks. From deep secrets to confessions of only visiting a dentist once, here’s a trailer of what to expect: The robots are intended to be comforting and non-judgmental, so people can have real interactions with them. The company also launched a Kickstarter project this week to help bring the robots into the consumer market. Robots in Residence is a part of the TriBeCa Film Festival’s first annual Storyscapes exhibit, which features five transmedia projects that embrace telling stories in a creative, unique way. One project will be named the winner. What do you think of the project? Would you feel more comfortable telling personal information to a robot? Let us know in the comments below. Images via Mashable Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/04/19/robot-documentary/
Spike Lee is hopping on the Kickstarter bandwagon to finance his next film. Following the likes of Scrubs star Zach Braff and the creators of Veronica Mars, the acclaimed director is developing an untitled project that will look at humans addicted to blood. Lee calls it “funny, sexy and bloody (and it’s not ‘Blacula’).” “It’s a very different climate now, and the only way to ensure, as an independent filmmaker, that your vision gets on screen, is when you bring the money to the table,” he says in the video, above. On his Kickstarter page, Lee addresses the “faithful” with a long, persuasive letter that describes his love for filmmaking, as well as the troubles that come along with it. “The catch is Filmmaking is an Artform that costs M-O-N-E-Y,” he writes, throwing standard writing conventions out the window. “That is why I’m appealing to the Kindness in your Hearts, to the Faithful who have given me the much needed Love and Support over my 3 decades of Spike Lee Joints.” Present-day Hollywood does not support independent filmmakers, Lee says, adding that the studio-system model discourages creative liberty: I’m not hating, just stating the facts. Super Heroes, Comic Books, 3D Special EFX, Blowing up the Planet Nine Times and Fly through the Air while Transforming is not my Thang. To me it’s not just that these Films are being made but it seems like these are the only films getting made. To The Studios it seems like every Film must be a Home run on a Global scale, a Tent Pole Enterprise, able to spin off Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel. I have a different vision of what Cinema can be, a different vision of what some under-served Audiences might want to see. Lee vows — “on my Mother’s Grave and Right Hand to the Almighty” — that every donated dollar will go towards funding the film and not into his pocket. He’s also promising some pretty enticing rewards as incentives to support the project, including autographed items and thank-you tweets. At the time of writing, Lee’s campaign just surpassed the $100,000 mark; he has 28 days left to raise his entire goal of $1.25 million or receive nothing. The filmmaker, renowned for such iconic flicks as Malcolm X and Do the Right Thing, is also getting ready to debut his latest project, Oldboy, a remake of the 2003 Korean thriller of the same name. Will you support Lee? Tell us in the comments, below. Image: Al Bello/Getty Images Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/07/23/spike-lee-kickstarter/
Just hearing the James Bond theme song might bring back memories of classic films in the franchise — or get you excited for future ones, like Skyfall. While it might not be Adele, this a cappella theme song is pretty impressive. The video above — created by Nick McKaig, with some help from Trudbol — is 100 percent vocals and shaken, not stirred. Listen to the song and tell us in the comments which James Bond theme song is the best. BONUS: The 10 Coolest Gadgets in 50 Years of James Bond 10 Best Bond Gadgets Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger, 1964) The classic Bond spy car, the Aston Martin appeared in five films total. Its original incarnation included bulletproof panels, oil slick, smoke screen, machine guns, rotating license plates, tire slashers, a homing screen for tracking the bad guy, radar receiver, bumper basher and of course the passenger ejector seat. Attache Case (From Russia With Love, 1963) The first official Bond gadget, this case boasts two hidden rods of ammunition (20 rounds each), a three-piece sniper rifle, a concealed throwing knife and a disguised tear gas cartridge that incapacitates anyone who opens the case incorrectly. Golden Gun (The Man With The Golden Gun, 1974) Francisco Scaramanga’s weapon of choice was not a Bond gadget per se, but it represents the entire Bond series’ lavishness and violence, while also functioning as a pen and a lighter. Jetpack (Thunderball, 1965) The ultimate futuristic gadget/escape vehicle, jet packs are still just a dream almost 50 years later. Well, unless you have $100,000 or an iPhone. Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977) It’s no Aston Martin, but the Esprit (pronounced Es-Pree) could drive underwater and featured a periscope, missiles, harpoons and mines. No word yet on whether the redesigned 2013 Esprit will have harpoons. Re-Breather (Thunderball, 1965 and Die Another Day, 2002) Two Bonds — Connery and Brosnan — used this gadget to breathe underwater like a Jedi. Die Another Day featured brief appearances of gadgets from throughout the Bond franchise, including that glorious jetpack. Bubble Suit (The World Is Not Enough, 1999) Q has a talent for predicting precisely what might go wrong on 007’s next mission. Not only is this inflating jacket the perfect tool for surviving an avalanche – it instantly provides a cozy, romantic bubble to set the mood. Ericsson Mobile Phone (Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997) Bond’s first true mobile phone could read fingerprints, pick locks, featured a remote control for his BMW 750iL, and doubled as a 2,000-volt taser. Still waiting on that app. Laser Wristwatch (GoldenEye, 1995) Bond has also rocked a magnetic watch, Buzz-saw watch, detonator watch, pager watch, explosive charge watch, liquid crystal TV watch and grappling hook watch. Laser Camera (License to Kill, 1989) Fires a laser when the shutter is snapped, and as a bonus, produces a photograph showing the skeletons of anyone in the frame. Still waiting on that app, too. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/05/james-bond-vocal-cover/
PARK CITY, Utah — The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz received a standing ovation at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival this week just a few days after the one-year anniversary of the web pioneer’s death rattled the Internet. The documentary by Brian Knappenberger (known for directing We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists about the online hacktivist group Anonymous) closely follows the rise and fall of computer programming prodigy and Reddit co-founder Swartz, who emerged as one of the top advocates for Internet freedom and education. In high school, Swartz helped launch the web’s first RSS feeds, founded Creative Commons and ultimately co-created Reddit, before it was sold to Conde Naste in 2006. Most recently, he helped push forward the successful grassroots opposition to SOPA. Although Swartz’s legacy has been widely discussed, especially following his suicide in early January 2013 while facing federal prosecution, the The Internet’s Own Boy shows an intimate, harrowing side to the story that intertwines home footage and interviews with some of his closest friends and family members. The film was funded on popular crowdsourcing platform Kickstarter and raised nearly $100,000 from about 1,500 backers. Those close to Swartz have long attributed his suicide at age 26 to his indictment on federal charges for stealing millions of documents from MIT and scientific journal and article archive JSTOR. Even though JSTOR dropped the charges, the government allegedly told his family they were proceeding to “make a statement out of him” and deter other hackers from gaining access to information in a similar way. The film begins by chronicling Swartz’s brilliance that surfaced at a very young age. He taught himself how to read at age 3, built an ATM machine for a school project in elementary school and began building websites soon after. By age 14, he served on the coveted RDF Core group at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and his respected peers were some of the smartest thinkers in the Internet space, including Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. As his mother simply puts, “people listened to him like he was 40.” With the help of experts, The Internet’s Own Boy makes a clear argument: Swartz unjustly became a victim of the rights and freedoms for which he stood. Much of the film centralizes on the incidents related to the federal charges and the toll it took on his mind, shared through stories by his ex-girlfriends, brothers and parents. It’s these interviews that bring real depth to the film: Swartz wasn’t just an advocate and headline story — he was a son, a brother, a companion. One of the most captivating interviews of the two-hour film comes from his ex-girlfriend Quinn Norton, who details in tears her decision to speak to federal officers during Swartz’s investigation. The film compels you to root for Swartz, who helped the web forward but also wanted to keep it an open place for greater information. However, little light was shed in the […]
Music legend Dolly Parton is going to contribute four original songs to the independent film, Olive, the first feature film shot entirely on a cell phone. Olive is the story of a little girl who changes the lives of three people, all without speaking a word. It also stars two-time Academy Award nominee Gena Rowlands Although Olive was shot entirely on a Nokia N8 camera (which at the time was the only full 1080p cell phone camera on the market), the film doesn’t have a “cell phone video” look. Co-directors Hooman Khalili and Pat Gilles retrofitted 35mm lens from a film camera from the 1940s and placed it atop the sensor on the N8. This allowed the directors to have full control over depth-of-field and other focal controls essential to creating a great looking motion picture. You can watch the first five minutes of the film below, to see just how good the video is. Dolly Signs On I had the opportunity to see the film two weeks ago, at a private screening in New York City, and walked away from the film truly impressed. I wasn’t the only one. Khalili spoke at METal International earlier this year in an effort to promote the film. That led to a chance encounter with Dolly Parton. After watching Olive, Parton was so impressed, she committed to writing four original songs for the film. The songs were recorded at Kent Wells Studios just outside Nashville earlier this month. It’s looking like the songs might be released alongside Parton’s upcoming memoir which is set for release later this year. From Democratized Filmmaking to Democratized Distribution For the team behind Olive, Parton’s support is an affirmation of the idea that filmmaking and film distribution can be democratized. Khalili told me that part of the impetus in deciding to use a cell phone, rather than a traditional digital video camera, for the project was to save cost. For an aerial shot, the small size of the phone’s camera allowed the shot to be done atop a remote controlled helicopter, rather than from a real helicopter which could cost thousands of dollars. The next step is distribution. The Olive producers — which include former-Facebook executive Chris Kelly — are actively speaking with a number of studios and distribution shops to get the film out to viewers. After seeing the film, I think it’s target audience is likely women and families. I see it playing very well in middle America and on the Hallmark Channel or other family outlets. The Olive team wants to make the film available in a video-on-demand basis, ideally partnering with Vudu and Walmart for distribution. We think this approach would make sense both in terms of the audience and as a way to showcase the power of digital distribution. The Modern Independent Film In the age of Kickstarter, digital distribution and low-cost/high-quality video sensors, the world of independent filmmaking has drastically changed. Back in December, Ed Burns told me that Twitter has fundamentally […]
There are endless treasures to be found in our grandparents’ attics. While digging through these family heirlooms and artifacts, we’re lucky if we come across a few tattered photos from the war, or a chipped teacup from an old collection. Although substantial finds may be few and far between, these relics help us piece together the stories of our lives. But one man hit the jackpot one day while rummaging through his grandparents’ things. What he discovered sent him on a stunning journey back in time. He found a perfectly preserved film of his grandparents’ wedding that dates back to 1944. Vimeo / Bliss Productions Although this footage was captured decades ago, the affection shown by these two lovebirds is timeless. My Grandparents Wedding :: 16mm from 1944 from bliss* productions on Vimeo. Grandparents are often viewed as the pillars of the family. They’re seen as sage, wizened monuments to everything that younger generations stand for. It’s rare that we get to peek behind the curtain and marvel at who they were before we were born, and now that this man has stepped back in time, he will be able to move forward with a whole new perspective on who he is and where he came from. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/family-history/
LOS ANGELES — Are Google and Hollywood, like, an item now? Anyone else notice these two have been getting a lot cozier lately? Several weeks after Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar became the first official movie website co-created by Google, Lionsgate has partnered with YouTube to promote The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 with “District Voices,” the latest campaign from Google’s Art, Copy & Code incubator. The five-part video series features different popular YouTube creators whose channel “aligns with a specific industry from one of the districts of Panem,” the companies said in announcing the project Monday. Each episode, shot at the YouTube Space LA facility in Playa Vista and around Los Angeles, is presented as programming from the Panem government’s official “Capitol TV,” spotlights life in one of the different districts. A new video will drop each day this week, starting Monday at 4 p.m. ET with District 8, in which “Threadbanger” YouTube channel co-creators Rob Czar and Corinne Leigh will show the best uses of Peacekeeper armor. Other videos will feature Peacekeeper training, baking techniques from the grain-producing District 9 and segments on electricity generation and transportation. It’s not the first time Hollywood has stopped by YouTube Space LA, which built an entire Godzilla set for its creators to play with earlier this year, and is currently hosting Halloween and horror-themed sets created by Guillermo Del Toro. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 hit theaters worldwide on Nov. 21. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/10/20/the-hunger-games-is-the-next-film-franchise-with-a-google-promotion/
