Edgar Wright Discusses The Art of The Close-Up With David Chen

David Chen is one of the key contributors to /Film, the best movie website on the planet. One of the coolest things that he does is sit down with directors and discuss some of their trademark techniques. The latest of this series has Chen sitting down with one of my current favorite directors, Edgar Wright, and talk about the art of the close up. Wright often employees the close up in his films, accompanied by quick cuts. My favorite occurs at the beginning of Shaun of the Dead, when Shaun is getting ready for work. Shaun (Simon Pegg) is completely out of focus, but things like his tie, name tag and cup of coffee are the highlight of the shot, Cool to hear thoughts on how and why directors shoot things in a certain way, and what makes their style unique. You can see more of Chen's sit downs by clicking on his Youtube page, and check out the Wright interview after the jump...

CCD Links It Up Vol #2

Click after the jump to see more of whats happening around the Internet. These stories are all cool as hell in their own way, but couldn't make up a whole post here on CCD on their own. Enjoy....

1) The gang at Topless Robot picks out their Top 20 pieces of art from the Crazy 4 Cult NYC artshow. We attended the show and posted our pics here, but I like most of the selections that TR featured in their list and some of them are from the side of the gallery that we could not get to cause it was blocked off. I will be going back this Wednesday, so hopefully I will have some better pictures for you guys.

2) Great article over at /Film about a Stanley Kubrick Retrospective that is taking place out in LA. Just another reason why I hate my west coast peeps who get to enjoy wonderful events like these while we here in NYC get shut out. KMG, get over to this and check it out!!!!

3) My new go to site for hot chicks in very little clothing is Beer Mug Sports. This week I am currently entralled with their 'Mug Shots' of the stunning creature known as Sidoni Biermont. I don't know what her nationality is, but all I know is that Sidoni must mean 'Creature I want to ride for hours' in her native language!!!!

4)  Check out this 'Introduction to Judge Dredd' video from Yahoo to get you ready for the upcoming Dredd 3-D featuring Karl Urban. The article also features a ringing endorsement from the creator of the character itself, John Wagner, and he is as outspoken as they come. If it's good enough for him, it will probably be fine by me...

5) Shawn S. Lealos publishes a really cool article over at 411mania about who owns the film rights to which Marvel properties. It is very in depth and full of cool tidbits, but left me with only one question. Why the fuck is 411mania's website such a fucking mess, all disorganized and looking like shit? This is a site that has sponsorship from major chains like Kohl's, yet it features a shitty white backdrop and it's content is arranged like an absolute horror show. get your shit together 411mania...

Dr. Mierzwiak Takes On Movie Posters With His Own Unique Style

I come across many artists who ply their wares on the Net, but the thing I love to do most is to then visit the artist's particular personal page and see what else they got cooking. After seeing Dr. Mierzwiak's cool ass Avengers poster over at /Film, I decided to see what else the dude had to offer. I stumbled over to his Deviant Art page and found a treasure trove of film posters that are phenomenal. You can see them for yourself by clicking here, but after the jump I will place a few of the ones that I like best....

5 Reasons To Watch 'Alcatraz' This January

We are reaching the point in that fall TV schedule when shows go on mid-season hiatus and networks bring in mid-season replacements for shows that under performed (only 3 episodes for Charlies Angels & Playboy Club... really???). One of the most anticipated mid-season additions is 'Alcatraz', the new show from uber genius JJ Abrams. The first official teaser trailer (30 seconds... C'MON!!!) has leaked and it has piqued my interest... so here are 5 reasons why I think you should give the show a shot come January. Click after the jump for the list and an embedded version of the trailer...



Synopsis courtesy of /Film:

The series centers around a mysterious event in 1963 that made 302 Alcatraz prisoners and guards vanish without any explanation. For some reason we don’t yet know, a prisoner named Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce) appears in present day Alcatraz and makes his way to San Francisco to seek payback from those who’ve done him wrong. It’s up to a spunky young police officer (Sarah Jones), assisted by a geeky Alcatraz expert (Jorge Garcia), to stop Sylvane, all the while dealing with a mysterious federal agent (Sam Neill) who clearly knows more about the Alcatraz disappearances than he lets on.

Here we go:

1. JJ Abrams- That's all. That's enough. I won't state the obvious about how successful Mr. Abrams has been, but I will say this: This cat doesn't put his name on stuff that isn't good. Well... let me take that back. He put his name on' Undercovers', which was a pretty good show that got cancelled early on and was considered a bust. JJ is looking to bring Bad Robot back to TV hardcore and this is the vehicle.to do it.
2. Time travelling criminals- The worst criminals from throughout history are appearing in 2011? Holy. Fucking. Shit. What a great idea. I remember a classic movie from the 80's called Time After Time. It was about Jack the Ripper & H.G. Wells using time machines to come to modern day America. It was awesome because Jack was a true smooth criminal and adapted masterfully, making him hard to track & apprehend. Criminals have the ability to think on their feet and adapt to their circumstances faster then people who aren't risking their freedom constantly. 
3. Sam Neil- Yessir... Sam Motherfucking Neil. I love this guy. LOVE 'EM!!! Dr. Alan Grant don't take no shit son!!!  He is playing the federal agent who clearly knows a bit more about the 1963 disappearance and re-appearance of the 302 criminals here in present day. I can't wait to see the layers of this onion peel back and reveal just how deep Mr. Neil is really involved in the whole situation. Damien Thorne FTW!!!
4. Fox Network-  OK, OK... I know that Fox is notorious for fucking with shows, even when they are successful. They move time slots, cancel seemingly popular shows,  and make overall bonehead decisions, especially when the shows are geek/nerd based properties. Hell, they have the best Sci-Fi show on TV right now (Fringe) and THEY ARE DOING EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO GET THE SHOW CANCELLED (THEY MOVED THE SHOW TO fRIDAY NITE FOR CHRIST SAKES!!!) But on this show they seem to be all in. They have 7 shows already shot, and have even gone back to conduct re-shoots to tighten those puppies up. There are another 6 episodes due to start filming BEFORE the show even airs. A short 1st season (13 episodes) will benefit Alcatraz because it will give Fox less of a chance to fuck it up.
5.  Jorge Garcia- Yup... Hurley is still a fat fuck that will sure to make for some humorous chubby-based jokes and scenarios present on Alcatraz. This giant fatty may be a tubby bitch, but homie can certainely act his ass off. He was one of the best parts of the end of Lost (for the records, I ALWAYS hated Hurley, but had to change my tune in the end) and I can't wait to see him reunite with JJ & the gang.

Now This Is How More People Should Spend $100 Bucks...

Spanish comic artist and budding film director Jesus Orellana has created a magnificent all CGI short film entitled 'Rosa'... but that is not the amazing part of this whole story. While it is impressive that he could create the CGI film all by himself, what is more amazing is that he did it using consumer grade equipment and at a cost of $100 bucks!!! Now the short is causing a big stir over at /Film over whether or not it is any good, but frankly I a super impressed by Mr. Orellana's work ethic and frugalness.  Now there is news that the "Rosa' is going to be getting the full feature treatment. I want to hear your guys opinions on the short, so you can get a synopsis of the short and see it embedded after the jump...



Here is the synopsis as per the shorts Vimeo page:

ROSA is an epic sci-fi short film that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where all natural life has disappeared. From the destruction awakes Rosa, a cyborg deployed from the Kernel project, mankind’s last attempt to restore the earth’s ecosystem. Rosa will soon learn that she is not the only entity that has awakened and must fight for her survival.

And here is the short itself:



ROSA from Jesús Orellana on Vimeo.


So, what did you think? Let us know in the comment section below!!!

Nothing Like Some "Behind The Scenes" Info To Make Me Want To See A Film Even More!!!

What do you get when you take three awesome bloggers (Peter Sciretta from /Film, Frosty from Collider, and Quint from Ain't It Cool News) and give them access to the editing room for the upcoming Disney tentpole film John Carter Of Mars from director Andrew Stanton? You get this awesome 20 minute video that talks about it from the differing perspectives of the highly qualified bloggers that makes me want to see this movie even more. See for yourself:


JOHN CARTER Video Blog from ColliderVideos on Vimeo.

Pete also included two still pictures with the video in his post. Here they are.

Helium at Dusk

Helium Airship

John Carter opens in March 2012. I will be the first online since I love the books so much. Hope the film is wonderful and does well enough to warrant a few sequels. I can't wait!!!

Artist Fabrizio Fioretti Gives The Ghostbusters A Digital Art Makeover

Check out these terrific renditions of the Ghostbusters done by artist Fabrizio Fioretti. His work is amazing. To see more of it, click here. Well done Fab....

Via /Film

Nazi's That Use Dr. Frankenstein's Formula To Re-Animate Dead Soldiers... Yes Please!!!

Every once in a blue I'll read some cooky premise for a book or movie and be blown away. You know, something so ridiculous that it makes you say "Wow... how did they come up with that one?". Also, sometimes I see these crazy plots and think "How come no one has ever put these concepts together before?". When I read about 'Frankenstein's Army' over at /Film yesterday, both of those thoughts popped in my head. How perfect... the Nazi's (the most evil group of people ever) go one step further and use, fellow German, Dr. Frankenstein's re-animation formula to raise an army of the undead. Yeah... I'll watch the shit out of this one regardless of how it turns out. Here is a teaser clip:

What do you guys think about this one? Will you check it out? Tell us in the comment section below!!!

How cool is this concept art?

'The Batman Complex' Is Something You Need To Watch If You Love Nolan's Dark Knight

Here is a cool fan made trailer that is making the rounds on all the big geek sites ( /Film, Topless Robot, etc)... which means I usually wouldn't have posted it since those guys had it covered. But this one is to cool to ignore. Here you go:



Here is what the creator of the faux trailer, The Man Batman, has said about the vid:

The gist of the idea revolves around a few fun topics, mainly the whole “what is real?” train of thought, and also every fans desire, deep down or upfront, to be Batman at least once in their lives. LOL. And so, I tried to craft a story where we see what happens when someone takes their dream of being Batman a little bit too far. An idea, after all, is a truly resilient parasite. ;)

While some of it is still left a bit ambiguous (both unintentionally and intentionally – while there’s only so much that can be strung together, I often like to leave a little bit open so as to see what fellow fans are able to imagine/create)… I wanted to focus more on the character aspects (and a bit of the tragedy as well), and attempt to move past the initial shock of the psychological twist. One aspect I tried to hint at was the paralleling descent of both Bruce and Cobb. As Cobb and the team go deeper into Bruce’s mind, they start to encounter the truly dark issues that his subconscious houses. As a result, Cobb himself gets caught up in the obsession of all that lingers in the mind of a Batman. There are a couple fun things in there that are best left to surprise, but all in all, I’m relatively happy with how it turned out. It’s fairly fast paced and doesn’t leave much room to breath, which helps amplify the tension I think. But that’s just me.

Inception, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight & The Machinist all in one? YES PLEASE!!! Would you watch this? Please leave some comments in the section below!!!

'A Brief History Of Title Design' Highlights The Art Of The Start

The title sequence is the key to hooking people into a movie. Come up with a cool concept or some wild way to start your film and you are sure to put people on the edge of their seats. This cool video from Ian Albinson was shown during SXSW this year highlights some of the best Title Cards from Hollywood over the last century. It's pretty awesome and features some of my personal favorites, such as: 'Star Wars', 'Dr. Strangelove, 'Dr. No', 'Mean Streets', 'Vertigo', 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Se7en', 'Mimic', 'Zombieland', & 'Scott Pilgrim vs The World'. Thank you to /Film for the pic & the tip.



A Brief History of Title Design from Ian Albinson on Vimeo.

I Am Not 'Dredd-ing' This Movie...

(See what I did there... Dredd-ing... that's great)... Oh, um... I was thinking aloud again. Anyway, here is a crazy set pic from the new Judge Dredd movie, and it looks spot on to the amazing comic that it's based on (not like the way everything was wrong in the Stallone movie). Now while I can enjoy the Stallone Judge Dredd for its horribleness, I am truly looking forward to seeing Karl Urban play the Judge correctly. Anyway, here it is... enjoy:

Via /Film