atomicscissors

So a friend just got me wise to a trend in Japan, Dajjbans, or Dodge Vans. Pretty sweet, I think. I'd rather have a boxy, lowered V8 Dodge Ram van with deep dish low-offset wheels, than a boxy Scion xB. I think it's doubly cool that these guys also take their vans out to the track.

Oh yeah, you're right. Everytime someone says "Inception's trailer music", I assume they're talking about Mind Heist. edit: After some googling, I discovered that Two Steps From Hell composed the track you are looking for. Don't know the title of it though. Here's a link to a torrent collecting all of their work as of 11/2010: SNIP! Maybe you'll find it in there.

Like I wrote in my previous post, the torrent is the only source of the track I know of. Just google "Mind Heist torrent" and the first hit (from isohunt.com) looks like the same file I have, which should be in 256kbps. I never found another copy of it in a higher bit-rate, or in a lossless format.

I enjoyed the original 4 episode OVA. Isn't groundbreaking or thought-provoking, but I enjoyed it. I thought the movie was a little too serious, considering how silly the manga is. I've never watched the TV series, so I don't have an opinion on that.

Grew up with West Coast gangsta rap, metal, and ska. I listen to pretty much everything, though. One of my guiltiest pleasures is listening to rancheras, even though I've only learned to speak Spanish at an elementary level. Anywho, here's a blast from the past; one of the funniest/weirdest (IMHO) music videos I've ever seen. Slightly NSFW

lulz What with all the Sean Penn hate? Did he kick a baby in the face or something?

Thoranime has 720p and 1080p torrents of both movies. That's how I caught it. Definitely going to a showing, though. Absolutely going to rock on the big screen.

I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords.

It is, admittedly, more metaphysical than science-fiction. But if we are to believe AintItCool.com, The Tree of Life is a complimentary film for a second Malick movie being shot for IMAX about the birth and death of the Universe. I assume the shots of the planet and space in the trailer is from this second IMAX movie. Also according to AintItCool "visual f/x legend" Douglas Trumbull (of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Blade Runner fame) is working on Tree of Life. I think Malick is working on something amazing here.

IBM’s “Watson” Computing System to Challenge All Time Greatest Jeopardy! Champions I'm so excited. This should be very interesting.

Looks absolutely amazing. Really looking forward to seeing this.

This one is for Shaorin. I know you aren't into the new digital formats/inputs, but thought you'd appreciate their "retro" looks. Pretty classy, I think. More pics and details here.

There was a torrent floating around; that's where I grabbed it from.

lol But it's not Admiral Akbar, it's Red Lobster. Come in Dog Fort.

Thanks. Believe me, I was just as surprised that the music synced up so well.

Video I took of take-off from LAX to DCA that I made this summer that I added "Mind Heist" to.

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I can't get the timestamp to work for some reason. The entire video is awesome, but my favorite part starts at 2m46s.

First off, Happy New Years everyone. Hope everyone here had a great time. You're right, most of the sheeple will not realize what they are looking at. Also, when I use the word "cheap" I was not referencing the technique's monetary cost. What would you consider a greater achievement: creating atmosphere naturally (through lighting, set design, and direction), or creating atmosphere on a computer? If you picked the latter, then we are on two different wavelengths with regards to film-making. I don't believe 3-D is an effect "not otherwise possible", see below. Agreed. Anything done poorly, even color, can adversely affect a film. The "colorization" of black and white films is an atrocity. However, the advent of colored films should be seen as a natural evolution of the art form, after all we all see in color. But before anyone says, "Aha! We all see in three dimensions as well!", take into account Roger Ebert's first reason about why he hates movies in 3-D. To paraphrase: movies are already filmed in 3-D, even when they're filmed in 2-D. That is, there is already perspective and depth of field. Objects in the foreground already seem closer to the viewer than those in the background. I also disagreed with Ebert when he mentioned videogames not being art. However he is a man, and like all men, he is not infallible. It is wrong to disregard him, like you seem to have, just because of his opinion on videogames, or his other "questionable" opinions (whatever those may be). Just as in The Walking Dead thread, I didn't come here looking to change any minds, just voice my opinion: 3-D has given 20th Century Fox and Ridley Scott an excuse to come up with not just one, but two, prequels. I don't believe they will ever come close to touching the creepiness of Alien, or the action of Aliens. 20th Century has already lost $40 on the film. That's the cost of the two tickets I'm not going to buy.

Shouldn't "Eeek!!" have been "Kyaa!"?

You're right about this, but adding atmosphere in post-production seems cheap to me. In fact, I think the whole fad of filming a movie in 3-D cheapens the art of making movies. "If you can't make it good, make it 3-D," seems to be the post-Avatar Hollywood mantra nowadays. The prequel just seems like a money grab by 20th Century Fox and Mr. Scott. Roger Ebert wrote an article for Newseek earlier this year wherein he said 3-D is best suited for children's films and animation. He also writes: Full article here: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/04/30/why-i-hate-3-d-and-you-should-too.html I think it was the first 144-minute action scene.

What bothers me about Box Office Gross lists is that they never take inflation into account. Still it's a damn shame that The Phantom Menace made more than A New Hope or Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Vertigo, The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Chinatown, Apocalypse Now, Dr. Strangelove, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, M*A*S*H, Unforgiven, The Shawshank Redemption, A Clockwork Orange, Platoon, Goodfellas, Casino, Pulp Fiction, Blade Runner...I could go on and on... edit: and Phantom Menace has probably made more than True Grit ever will. True Grit is a great movie. Go see it.

I'm going to concede: I believe you are right, there is never a point in the first two movies where it is specifically mentioned that the Nostromo was the one to make first contact. And you're also right on another point: I don't know what the prequel is going to be about; I shouldn't say that's it's going to be your typical Mindless.Summer.Action.Blockbuster because I haven't read the script, let alone viewed a trailer (but, I'll tell you one thing: they don't film serious dramas in 3-D). I read the Wikipedia entry like sketchley suggested (it never occurred to me to do so). I learned two things today. The first made me sad: Sigh. Sacrificing true atmosphere for an excuse to sell overpriced movie tickets. The second thing I learned today made me even sadder: The Xenomorphs are no longer just eyeless creatures who lurk in the dark; no longer faceless monsters who kept me up all night as a kid. No, they're possibly biological weapons now. I guess they're right: ignorance is bliss. I wish I could be just as "cautiously optimistic" as you, but in 1999 I didn't think George Lucas could give us something as bad as The Phantom Menace.

Holy crap, I want to visit this place so badly: a cave in Vietnam so large you could put a half-mile block of 40-story buildings in a section of it. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/largest-cave/peter-photography