Messages

16

Media Review / Re: The Great Mr. Chibi presents: YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS (With links for the lazy)

« on: February 19, 2011, 11:01:48 PM »

Harlan Ellison: Dreams with Sharp Teeth

Robin Williams interviews Harlan "I have no mouth and I must scream!" Ellison. Nuff said.

...okay, there's also some other talking heads (including BSG's Ron Moore and Neil Gaiman!), but Harlan Ellison by himself is so inherently amusing and enjoyable in his sheer curmudgeonliness, he supplies the entertainment almost single-handedly. But beyond that, the glimpse into the mind of someone so razor sharp, even at 80, so brilliant and yet so incredibly human and vulnerable is one that will, for a few moments, touch you deeply and profoundly. There are few films and fewer individuals who can be both utterly innocent and utterly profane in, if not the same moment, then just a blink between.

You have no excuse. Enjoy!

17

Media Review / Re: The Great Mr. Chibi presents: YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS (With links for the lazy)

« on: February 19, 2011, 05:42:33 PM »

Spectacular Spider-Man

You guys might remember I posted a very impassioned thread about going out and watching this show. The big Marvel/Disney merger was going down, and while the show was doing well in its timeslot, it still needed just a little more oomph to prove to the executives that it should be saved.

Well, given that it got cancelled, I think its safe to say that nobody took me at my word. Which is to your detriment!

I stand by the statement that Spectacular Spider-Man is just as good as Avatar: The Last Airbender. The animation is fantatastic and fluid; the voice cast is superb (Josh Keaton! Tricia Helfer! Peter Macnicol!), and the storytelling pulls no punches. Everything Spidey does comes at a cost somewhere down the road-- Peter's life sucks, and its all his fault. Not to say this is a grim show-- far from it! Here's Spider-Man as he should be- cracking jokes AND heads while he battles evil! But the interpersonal relationships, the ethical dilemmas, and the wonderful character development all add a wonderful depth to this definitive Spider Man tale.

Oh! And look! The first season is all on Netflix Streaming! You have no excuses now.

Enjoy!

Episodes 1-3
Episodes 4-6
Episodes 7-9
Episodes 10-13

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Media Review / The Great Mr. Chibi presents: YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS (With links for the lazy)

« on: February 19, 2011, 05:31:58 PM »

Gentlemen, I think it is fair to say I live on the bleeding edge of the culture. These eyes of mine see 20 years in the future. I know what's going to be hot before its even created.

Also, I watch a lot of kids cartoons, and some of this recent stuff is really freaking good. So, this thread is here for direct links to really good shows folk might not have heard of. Feel free to contribute-- I'll be posting as I find and remember stuff. Again, everything is going to be linked, so the only investment you'll ever have to give is *a single, solitary mouse click*. This thread lives just so that you have no excuse for seeing some of the wonderful stuff that's come out recently.

To start with:
Transformers: Prime

Prime is the latest and greatest in the sprawling clusterfuck of the Transformers franchise. It theoretically takes place in the same continuity as the War for Cybertron game, which was fantastic, and is written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. You might remember these guys wrote the two live action movies, which are awful. However, they also wrote Star Trek, Alias, Fringe and the soon-to-be-released Cowboys and Aliens; so one might be able to discern that perhaps they were not being allowed full creative leverage on the TF movie project.

Prime gives the that leverage. The show is only 7 episodes in, and already it's proven to be exciting, brutal, and mature in ways extended toy commercial shows shouldn't be. The CG animation is fantastic, particularly in the action scenes, and the writing is superb. The first five episodes are all one miniseries; if nothing else, download those. The series just started in earnest and is guaranteed to have another season; so its worth the investment. Every episode so far is linked below, and is in HD.

Enjoy!

Darkness Rising Miniseries
Transformers Prime - 01 - Darkness Rising, Part 1 of 5
Transformers Prime - 02 - Darkness Rising, Part 2 of 5
Transformers Prime - 03 - Darkness Rising, Part 3 of 5
Transformers Prime - 04 - Darkness Rising, Part 4 of 5
Transformers Prime - 05 - Darkness Rising, Part 5 of 5

Transformers Prime - 06 - Masters and Students
Transformers Prime - 07 - Scraplets
Transformers Prime - 08 - Con Job
Transformers Prime - 09 - Convoy
Transformers Prime - 10 - Deus Ex Machina
Transformers Prime - 11 - Speed Metal new
Transformers Prime - 12 - Predatory new
new

19

The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 127 - Anime and Penises

« on: February 18, 2011, 01:11:19 AM »

RahXephon is pretty good, but still suffers from a heavy case of WTF at the end.  Very well made show though.  I'm a big fan of most of the stuff Gonzo does, particularly Solty Rei which I consider their high water mark, and Last Exile which would be my favorite anime of all time if it didn't fall apart a bit at the end as well.  Oh, and Kiddy Grade, which sounds like more anime pedophelia... and well, it is a little in places, but it's a very good show.

Not as heavy as some; and about the second time through, I actually started getting some of the stuff they were getting at. More to the point, as far as I can tell, the standard WTF end is subverted through no less than my two favorite things in the world: courage and the power of loooooove.

20

Iron Tyrants / Iron Tyrants Poetry Contest

« on: December 21, 2010, 11:53:42 PM »

Samurai wrote haiku to relax after battle. The Klingons celebrate their victories by composing opera that get performed in Denmark.  And, as it turns out, when one Mr. Pinilla gets his heart broken, he doesn't get made... he gets literate.

My friends, it's time Iron Tyrants becomes a warrior-poet in the classical sense. This week's Podgecast has motivated me- and I think it can be crazy fun for everybody.
EDIT:
But I don't want just poetry.

Oh no.

I want a heavy-metal ballad.

Write me White Snake by way of a Rattler. Write me Led Zeppelin inside a Juggernaut. Crank your amps to 11 and jam out the most over-dramatic, overly-serious, overly-over lyrics you can write about the best mech game in existence. Something like...

"Demons in the night/
Stalking over children's beds/
Malleus's got to fight/
Or they're gonna wind up dead"

Bonus points for comparing anything to dragons, vikings, or making your song singable to Rush. MUST BE IRON TYRANTS RELATED- and the more in-game the better. Write about your favorite Tyrant, a particularly awesome battle you played in, or your favorite bits of setting fluff.

You have two weeks. Winner will get a free inked sketch by me, David Bednar, based on your poem.  Or not, if you want something cool.

Good luck, and bad lyrics!

21

Games and Hobbies / Re: Australian Dick Wrestling

« on: August 20, 2010, 08:40:12 PM »

:O Another ADW fan! Wow, this is spectacular. I didn't think there were many north of the 29th Parallel.

Who do you have pegged for the Grypping Cup this year? I know that the Brisbane Bungtoungers have had an impressive showing this year, but the Melbourne Mangropes have really stood at attention this season. Charles Thirdleg, their shaftbacker, is one of the best I've seen-- I don't think anybody except the Perth Pisspot's Brock Throbbington can really jerk him out of position.

To say nothing of their ballsmen, Fergus Sacksbody and Robert Testiclovsky. One look at their heavy-laden swagger and you know the Mangropes have a loaded sack ready for anybody.

Though, I think I'd have a different opinion if Arthur Chodeingham hadn't gotten caught with those sheep and that platypus. When the video dropped on Youtube of him using his patented "polearm suplex" to shatter the marsupial's skull, he shattered the dreams of the Sydney Schlongaroos and all their fans...

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The Podge Cast / Episode 101: Me

« on: August 16, 2010, 08:44:13 AM »

Well, this is surreal...

23

Video Games / Re: Transformers: War for Cybertron

« on: June 24, 2010, 07:19:57 PM »

PS-- if you ever have a few hours, the Transformers wiki: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Main_Page is hilarious, and entirely exhaustive. WfC tries hard to not be obtuse to new and casual fans, but it's got some awesome callouts for fanboys, and a little research could never hurt.
(For example, one of the in-game killstreaks is called the P.O.K.E. Here's why. Its awesome.)

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Video Games / Re: Transformers: War for Cybertron

« on: June 24, 2010, 07:12:38 PM »

I'm a titanic Transformers fan. I can quote the movie backwards and forwards, I've read the comics, watched the shows, and I own more toys than I care to reveal. I *love* the property, love it like a little baby, and when I first heard about this game I was petrified. Surely, surely it would suck.

But it doesn't. They got it right.

And the right they got? Personality. The driving force behind the Transformers isn't that they, well, turn into trucks. That's not what gets people to buy the toys. It's the bios. It's flipping the toy around and finding out Huffer is a gigantic pessimist or that Sky-Byte is a wannabe poet. A toy's a toy... but Transformers have *soul*. And the TV show proved it. The plots for any given episode would generally be terrible(uh oh! Where are those wacky Decepticons stealing energon from THIS time!?)... but you'd know that putting any three characters in a talking situation, regardless of sides, was going to generate some quality dialogue. It didn't hurt that the show had some of the finest voice acting to come out of the 80s toy-animation industry.

And of course, there was Optimus Prime, the noblest character since King Arthur. Raise your hand if you'd follow him to the gates of hell if he asked you to follow along. Yeah, I thought so.

So personality is the name of the game... and War for Cybertron has it nailed down. Whether in multiplayer or campaign, the bots are constantly chattering away, dropping one-liners and cracking jokes all the way. You can't imagine my joy, playing the demo, when I was shattered into a million pieces by an Autobot soldier, only to hear, "Hah! Take that, Decepti-creep!". THAT'S it. THAT, right there, is Transformers. Everything wrong with those horrible fucking movies, is made right in that moment. Just taking a second to put a little personality into what's going on, into making these silicon simulations of metal constructs feel like you best friends... oh man.

...sorry, had to change my underpants. Anyway, the controls are tight and beautiful-- one of my favorite actions is to double jump off a ledge, transform at the peak of the jump's arc, slam on my afterburners and jet off at top speed halfway across the arena. Unlike the other Transformers games on the 360/PS3, transformation is a blast and feels useful. The intigration into the setting is brilliant, too. Your hands transform into your weapons. When you come up to a turret, you grapple onto the back and transform into it, locking your whole body into the construction. I'm only very early into the campaign, but every environment feels alive-- panels whirr, arms  and pylons grow out of the walls, bridges stretch out like arms when you activate them.

I'm so happy with this game. It's a perfect arcade-y action adventure title, and more importantly, its time I get to spend with my old pals, the Transformers.

25

Way of the Game / Re: What's Your Top Ten?

« on: May 13, 2010, 05:35:56 PM »

10   Sly 2: Band of Thieves
09   Star Fox 64
08   Phantasy Star Online
07   Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
06   Phoenix Wright: Ace Attourney
05   Final Fantasy 13
04   Halo 3: ODST
03   Mass Effect
02   Metal Gear Solid/ Tanker Demo
01  Legend of Zelda: Windwaker

POSTED WHILE ON THE SHOW. SPOILERS YO.

26

Video Games / Re: Gamertags

« on: April 02, 2010, 05:57:50 PM »

TheGreatMrChibi just joined the XBox Revolution... or corporate empire... or something. Hmm.

27

The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 78: Spokey Dokey

« on: February 22, 2010, 11:28:32 PM »

Also, better titles for this episode would have been:
The Real Folk Podge
Bad Dog No Podgecast
The EGG and PODGE
Podgecast in Ganymede
Adams on Mars
or
Podge'n on Heaven's Door

28

The Podge Cast / Re: Episode 78: Spokey Dokey

« on: February 22, 2010, 11:25:22 PM »

The reason the animation looks dated is because it was produced before the switch over to digital cels.

TODAY'S LESSON: THE HISTORY OF ANIMATION PRODUCTION.

Traditionally, all animation was produced on acetate cellulose layers, called cels. Each frame was first drawn out on paper, then, once the motion was okayed, transferred over to the cel, traced, inked, painted, and finally layered and photographed to form the final animation frame. Originally, you could only do one layer, but then Walt Disney Co. invented the multi-plane camera, so multiple cels could be placed on top of one another, to simulate depth. That was first used on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

But it costs a lot of money to use all that paint, cels, and paper! So, in the 1980s, Disney developed CAPS: The Computer Animation Production System. Now every aspect, from tests to inks and paint, could be created entirely inside a computer. The first film that was fully implemented on was The Rescuers Down Under-- it continued use until the animation department shut down, and now the industry standard is a program called ToonBoom Studio.

Japanese animation companies were slower in adapting to this technology than the film companies, so it wasn't until the 2000s that CAPS-type systems really started cropping up, and it wasn't until 2007 that the Japanese anime industry finally stopped using cels entirely.

Actually, Bebop broke a lot of ground with computer graphics-- the gate effects are all done digitally. The same production team also worked on Escaflowne-- that show had digitally assisted textures on some of the dragons. Still, you can see the cels and all the flaws in the paint for yourself on the screen.

...actually, when I was in Japan, one of the kids in my group bought a cel from the Bebop movie-- Spike in the Swordfish II, bathed in red light. Its super boss-- I think it cost him $150? I wish I had spotted it. That cel shop guy was boss, though.

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The Podge Cast / Episode 076: WE WATCH TEH ANIMU.

« on: February 08, 2010, 08:47:51 AM »

The lack of Anime Club discussion in the episode sickens me. Go read it now, goddamn it.

I'll have a more thought out and weeaboo reply later, but for right now-- the best thing to get anybody into anime is Miyazaki. Spirited Away is good for everybody, and introduces some of the common tropes of anime in a subtle, palatable way. Starting there, work your way back through Miyazaki's catalogue until you get to Castle of Cagliostro. Once they like Lupin III, they're hooked, and you can show them anything.

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General Discussion / Re: Pandora blocked at work :-(

« on: January 21, 2010, 07:49:01 AM »