Seriously, though, Portal?

Yeah, I'm behind the times.

I just ordered this totally awesome water bottle, care of the monkeys over at ThinkGeek.

Cool, huh? It's glass, which means I'll probably break it within two weeks. Lucky for you, I'm taking bets on how long it will last. I also may be running out of money.

So, there's the thing about Portal 2. I ended up introducing a LOT of people to Portal via Portal 2 this summer. I lived in a large house (and I mean large, like with 50 or more people), and many of them had never heard of Portal. I played through it, capturing the attention of many. They were smitten from the get-go, and let's be honest, who wouldn't be?

Because I had an audience, I felt really smart when I figured out puzzles quickly, and advanced quickly. It also meant that I got to explore a whole lot less than I would have liked to- they wanted to see puzzle solving, not exploring every nook of a very well rendered and flushed out game world.

Yes, if you've played through Portal 2, you know what I'm trying to say. I'm trying to say that I missed ALL of the Rattmann story. All of it. I saw his little drawings, sure, and I was aware that he existed in the framework of the game, but I pretty much missed everything else pertaining to it. I missed all but the two first dens, and am very sad I did, because they look awesome.



You can read more about Rattman here.

In other big, not Portal news, it looks like the Ender's Game movie is actually a go this time, with stars like Harrison Ford signed on! Yay! Here's hoping they don't fuck it up!

Pow!... Poe!

Hey anybodys. Happy 4th of whatever, and stuff, hope everyone is enjoying the day!

As a special treat, we've got a big ol' plug for you!

Our friends over at Andyfilm are starting a new project based on one of Poe's better poems, Tale Tell Heart. We like them, and we like their films, so we thought we'd give them a shout out. You can find more information about the project here, as well as links to their Kickstarter!

Check them out and celebrate independence!

All new roundup and special treat coming tomorrow!!!!!

How to be an Asshole at the movies.

Greetings, somebody!

So while this blog isn't necessarily focused on movies (or anything particular, really), I'm a big freakin' movie nerd. Guilty. So I found something interesting a little while ago, as an avid follower of Roger Ebert's journal in addition to his reviews (both are delightful), as it was mentioned in one of his entries. With the popularity of torrenting and stealing shit from The Man, a lot of us aren't going out to see movies as much anymore.

(I mean...not ME...cause I would never download something...ever...ehem. And I know none of you would either, darling readers...both of you.)

Anyway, with the advent of 3D technology, movie theaters have the option of either upgrading the equipment that they have, or using projectors that have a detachable 3D lens that can be added or removed depending on the needs of that particular show time. Seems like a good idea...that way, you wouldn't need to have dedicated theaters just for 3D movies (and I'll go ahead and reserve my opinion on 3D in general), but you would still be able to take advantage of huge summer blockbusters that feature debris flying into the audience's faces, or whatever it is that happens in those. HERE'S THE PROBLEM...

Now, I'm not going to insult anybody working in a movie theater, and a job is a job, and I've had my share of some shitty ones. That being said, movie theaters are often staffed by high schoolers kids who need a job after school, someone in need of a paycheck and not a career, and those without alternative vocational training. What I mean is that while I'm sure at the Cannes film festival, there are some bad-ass professional projectionists, you're not likely to see the same level of expertise at the local Regal Cinemas, just like you're not likely to see any four-star chefs behind the counter at a Taco Bell. One of the more popular models of projectors is the Sony 4k, and while it has a detachable lens that, on paper, is super convenient, the lens is too goddamned difficult to remove or add by your average joe/theater employee. So what winds up happening is they just leave the lens on whether the movie is in 3D or not.

In layman's terms, a normal lens for a normal movie allows all of the light to go through, and you have this awesome bright shiny picture to look at. When you show the same caliber or movie through a 3D lens, the lens has this big polarizing that absorbs about 50% of the light, making the resulting image dim and dull. The technology is technically compatible but there's a big reduction in quality. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:
The right half has a 50% reduction of brightness, while the left is the original image. Now, if you didn't have them right next to each other, you might not notice the difference, but here you can see there is a drastic drop in quality. With alternatives like the aforementioned torrenting, Netflix, Hulu, HBO and whatever, going out to see a movie is, by comparison, kinda really expensive, and you're paying that money for a decent experience. If you're seeing a dim version, you're being cheated out of your admission price. To make matters worse, it can be as much as 85% darker. I mean, you could play it safe and find a theater that doesn't use digital, doesn't use Sony products, or still lights their films traditionally...

Good luck with that.

Here's how you can tell if you're viewing a regular movie through a 3D lens. This is from Matthew Humpries at Geek.com, originally posted in Ebert's entry:

• The title of the movie listed by the theater will have a "D" after it if it is being shown on a digital projector

• If you are in a D movie, look at the projector window when seated. If you see two stacked beams of light it is a Sony projector with the 3D lens still on.

• A single beam of light means no 3D lens, or a different make of projector that doesn't have the issue

• If you see the two beams, then get up and go complain. You paid good money to see the movie, so make a fuss until they either give you back that money or remove the lens. Seeing as that's an involved and time-consuming process, expect a refund.

I agree!

I'll be going out to the movies in the next couple of days, I'll be looking for the projector beam.

Roger Ebert's journal entry on the subject
An article on by Ty Burr from the Boston Globe

Star Wars and Videos Roundup!

This week, I stumbled on a whole mess of Star Wars goodness. Here are some awesome images for you, followed by some very awesome videos I think you should check the heck out.

I can't wait for my mom to see this!


I dislike NOTHING about this.

I have a birthday soon, and this is what I want.

Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!

Oops!


Yeah, Yeah... but it is so good!

Wait for the end of this movie, it'll getcha.

Dirt Devil-The Exorcist from MrPrice2U on Vimeo.

A TED talk about happiness:

I need this printer:

And, um, hipsters and D&D:

Zero Charisma Teaser from Andrew Matthews on Vimeo.

Please refer to our previous post if you're curious about the lack of posting. We promise it will be worth the wait.

Idiot Box!

Lulu and I are working on a new edition to our regular segments, called "The Idiot Box", where we play through each other's favorite games, and you get to hear the hilarity that ensues. We're currently using my built-in laptop camera for filming so it's a little... special. Here's a teaser to get you excited!!!

The New Thing: Tuesday Roundups!!

At a recent, very important "business lunch" (not something we use as an excuse to drink and watch YouTube), Lulu and I decided to start weekly posts. Tuesdays will be roundup days until further notice! We'll continue to post random things throughout the week, but Tuesday is the day you can count on my Stumble roundups!

I need to sue someone for likeness rights.

Oh. Your. God.

A lot of you may have seen this already- but watch it again!!

FUNNY:




Reason I like Obama:




Feel good about humanity movie:

Bad Bad World from Guster on Vimeo.

Definitely not Lulu and me:

That's the best of this week... stay tuned for amazing things this Thursday!

Can't wait for Tuesday's roundup

This is too good. One of my very favorite online comics, The Oatmeal, made me even happier when he mixed a harrowing movie with my favorite thing. Behold:



We DO NOT own this image, we're just sharing it. To see more, please visit his site.

If you pay attention to Geeky news at all, Matt (the guy who owns/run/draws/everythings at The Oatmeal)has been having a major run-in with the admins at FunnyJunk (a site that posts pictures and makes money on advertisement? seems shaaaady). Many users of FunnyJunk have launched personal attacks at him, etc. We'd like to say that, although we're totally posting images he made, and owns the copyright to, we support him. Check out his blog about it.

We're not making money off it, just fighting the good fight.


FELIX OUT
Einstein is a hard name to remember.

Nerd Movie-Ladies

Hello again!

So I'm just gonna come right out and say it, I'm a huge movie nerd. And that sort of nerdiness is on no way a secret; I'll quote Tarantino (my future ex husband, and he doesn't know that yet, so shhh), quote The Rocky Horror Picture Show word for word (hellooooooooo, lonely childhood!) and I actually own a movie called Kung Fu Death Punch. I'm the sort of elitist asshole who patiently explains that my old myspace name was not from the original "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari" but from the 80s b-movie, "Dr Caligari," and will argue until proven wrong who was in what movie which year and which awards were won...often times continuing after I've been proven wrong. But movies are an excellent source of nerd girls, and sometimes, you get the sort of awkward love story that freaky hermits like myself can swoon over in between rounds of Mystical Ninja: Starring Goemon.

Today's Nerdy Movie-Lady is:

LILY
(from "Eagle VS. Shark" (2007))Played by Loren Horsley

Lily, while lacking in nerdy obsessions, is the sort of awkward, sweet person that you want to just scoop up and put into your pocket forever. (is that weird?) She and the love interest (played by Jemaine Clement, a la Flight of the Conchords) have a meet-cute at a party devoted to dressing as your favorite animal. Him, an eagle, and she, a shark. (Hence the title...betcha didn't see that one coming, hmmm?) Better yet, their eyes meet and sparks fly during a video game tournament! She's a social outcast with a heart of gold, like we all are, and it is her isolation that opens the movie (she is mocked at work by her coworkers). The movie is wrapped around Lily's devotion to Jarrod (Clement) and Jarrod's devotion to revenge over a highschool bully. And isn't that something that all of us nerdy folk can relate to? This is the sort of indie movie I can handle, and the kind of love story I can love.

Check out the movie trailer below: