10-11-05, 7:37 AM

I've got a touch of hangover, bureaucrat. Don't push me.

Music: Godspeed You Black Emperor! - East Hastings

I knew I should've kept it simple from the beginning, the original film noir concept was outside of time, budget (Which is around the high end of zero) and resources, so I kind of knew it was dead before I even pitched it to my class. I knew I'd be better off trying to do something much more flexible, that allowed for flexibility in the locations and didn't require casting actors that needed to match a specific profile, so thank god an idea came to me out of nowhere when I was up at Webster at 8:30 in the morning. So here goes, and it should be no surprise I thought of something like this:

Our unnamed protagonist is a young man with odd rest habits, sleeping at sunrise and waking at sunset. Working out of his home, presumably with some kind of web-related occupation, it's rare he sees the sun, much less other human beings. Somehow, most likely through insomnia, he finds himself awake during the day. As he ventures out of his home it begins to dawn on him that he is completely alone, the entire population around him is mysteriously absent. A short investigation of surrounding areas and buildings confirms this. We follow him attempting to adapt to this colossal change in the world; He has the freedom to do anything he wants. Slowly, through a series of events that steadily increase in intensity, it starts to become apparent he might not be completely alone after all. Is it real, is it a nightmare, or is he just going mad?

Holy pretentiousness.

Really, I've always wanted to make a creepy, spooky film, and I think I could make this work. Logistically, I think it would be easier to pull off than my original idea, though technically, it might prove to be difficult. As you can tell this concept was inspired by works like I Am Legend and 28 Days Later, and one of the major challenges would be trying to pull off wide angle shots of empty landscapes similar to the ones in the latter example.
Well, I think it's workable and I hope I can pull it off. I could also probably use all the help I could get behind the camera, if only to help set up lights, carry equipment or basically help with some basic grunt work like shifting things around on a location, helping secure locations, etc.

-K.

lift your skinny fists
 

Aren't you due back at the lab to have your bolts tightened?

Music: Guster - Great Escape

So I got into my first car accident about four hours ago. Thankfully it wasn't major and it wasn't my fault.
I was out doing my late night driving thing and somehow ended up driving west down Oakland Avenue. I was the only one going that direction on the road when I came to the intersection with Hampton Avenue, I had the green light so I kept moving. Someone in a green Buick sedan wasn't paying attention and was moving through the intersection. I was in a very relaxed mood, as I generally am during these little excursions when the traffic is extremely light and I can let a little of my guard down, so I didn't react as quickly as I should've, because it wasn't a high speed collision. I knew it was going to happen maybe half a second before I began passing through the intersection and the Buick was on the move, but something just didn't click in my mind to spring into action. I knew it was going to happen but my brain just didn't react to it, it was a surreal feeling, as if I was just watching it rather than actually being a part of it. I guess part of me figured it would be a close call or that I was in disbelief that it would really happen. Two seconds before impact I thought "This isn't going to be good." One second before I got hit is when I jerked the wheel as far to the left as I possibly could. For a millisecond I thought I was going to make it through, then I felt it smash into the right side of my car in the rear, I heard the loud, awful crunching sound of the impact, and then I was spinning out of control. I'm willing to bet this is probably the moment I shouted some expletive. I managed to wrestle the car back into control and I pulled to the side of the road. I watched in the rearview as the other car pulled in behind me and I waited for several seconds. Then I realized I wasn't breathing.
As I regained as much of my composure as I could I began to wonder about what this experience I was going to have with the other driver in a few seconds was going to be like. I wondered if I was going to have a shouting match on a dark city street at two in the morning. I wondered if I was going to have to try to go into Hard Ass Mode and attempt to be intimidating. I wondered if the other driver was going to emerge from their vehicle and turn out to be a 6'7", 300 pound linebacker from the Rams.
I get out of my car, breathing hard and stumbling, trying to survey the damage. From what I felt I was having visions in my mind's eye of the entire trunk just barely hanging on by a thread. What I saw was a deep, large dent from the right, rear wheel to the rear bumper, with all sorts of scratches and paint flecks. Unsightly, sure, but then again so is the rest of my car, so nothing overly major.
I look over to the other car as the driver steps out from behind her headlights to see a short, frail-looking older woman, probably in her mid-60's. I take a quick stock of the situation from her point of view; She just got into an accident that was entirely her fault in the middle of the city at night, and the other person involved is a six-foot, odd-whiskered bulk wearing jeans and a black leather jacket. I don't know if it's really the case and I take no pride or joy in believing I can scare old women, but I do take into account that there's a very real possibility that this woman is terrified and realize that trying to add on to it by acting the part isn't the right thing to do. I revert to Nice Guy Mode.
She's ready with her insurance information and a pad of paper, she takes responsibility for the accident and apologizes, I tell her that, well, these things happen and I could've done more to avoid it myself. I notice she only has a slightly large dent in her front bumper. We swap info and go our separate ways.
I reflected that yes, I could've done much more to avoid the accident, had I been in the right frame of mind to react. I had enough time between when I was started to realize what was going to happen to slam on my brakes. It could've been worse, though, had I not done the last second swerving I probably would've smashed into her driver's side door going forty miles per hour, and that's an ugly situation to think about.
The really strange part about it is that at no point was I, or am I now, angry about all this. I acknowledge there are times when my fuse is dangerously short, and getting crashed into and spun out of control by a woman who wasn't paying attention to the signals sounds like just the thing to light even a mile-long wick.
I guess somewhere the very small voice of reason I have in my brain managed to get the message out that these things happen, what's done is done, and getting mad about it isn't going to help.
I did, however, get pissed at the asshole that wanted to race me on Jamieson not minutes after the accident. Funny, that.

Anyway, the rules to the "Connections" or "Two Actors" game I wanted to get started on the Tagboard. Someone gives out two names of actors, or possibly even writers and directors, and it's your job to connect the two in a "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" sort of fashion.
Let's say, for example, someone throws out Mike Myers and Bruce Willis:
Well, Bruce Willis was in Pulp Fiction which was directed by Quentin Tarantino who also directed Reservoir Dogs which featured Steven Wright as the DJ who was also the pilot in So I Married an Axe Murderer starring Mike Myers.
Yes, writers and directors are fair game for links.
I'd like, if possible, one person to do one link, then let someone else continue it with another one. I realize that this leaves it open to the possibility of a dead end, but I think it would make it more interesting. Also, try to keep the use of IMDb to a minimum, it's more fun to try to do it from memory.

-K.

here comes whiplash
 

10-6-05, 6:41 AM

This is a story you will tell your grandchildren, and mightily bored they'll be.

Music: Portishead - Glory Box

I don't even like Portishead, it's got a funky sound that I dig, but I can't stand the singer.

A few things popped up on FileShack that I'd like to mention, one being a DVD image of a 20-minute video that Bethesda slapped together for the upcoming Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion that's really impressive. It's their follow up to the RPG behemoth Morrowind, which I was addicted to for quite a while. The game has gotten a real overhaul in terms of graphics, featuring a new physics system, dramatic lighting and soft shadows that render things like rib cages and links in chains perfectly. They've redone the combat system so you'll be able to block attacks easier than before, they've redone the stealth system to be more about being quiet and the lighting around you rather than just upgrading a certain skill. It's also, like Morrowind, massive. With over 200 hand-crafted dungeons to explore as well as all the forests and cities in-between, there will be a heck of a lot to do. I recommend checking out Morrowind, if you have the chance, it should be pretty cheap by now and it can really suck up time once you get into it, since it's such a great "go anywhere, do anything" title.
The video itself is a real hefty download (1.2GB), but worth checking out if you have the patience. You can burn it to a DVD and play it in just about any player, but really you can just use Daemon tools to mount the ISO and watch it that way.

Also, you should check out this demo for a game called Total Overdose which seems to have really slipped under the radar. I hadn't even heard of it until this demo popped up, but so far it's been getting a great response from everyone that's played it, and it is a whole lot of fun. It's just a little surprising I've seen zero press for it.
The game itself is a wildly over-the-top combination of Grand Theft Auto and Max Payne with an emphasis on lots of guns, lots of power-ups, lots of insanely outrageous moves and lots of slow-motion to help you rack up some insane kill combos. Personally, the move you can do where you lean out of a car door while you're driving it and then tap a button to dive out while the car keeps moving and crashes into someone or something while you dive in slow-mo and start unloading your weapons is just the best.
And the dual guitar case miniguns power-up is such a cool nod to Desperado.

So, what's in store this month as far as releases? A whole lot, actually. Call of Duty 2 and Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood will be hitting the shelves soon. The latter has been getting some good press so far, which is nice to see.
F.E.A.R. will also be released in the coming weeks and I really need to lay down some cash for the Limited Edition DVD, because I'm a sucker for all those extra features. Developer's commentary hasn't been used enough and is a really neat addition, really, I haven't seen it in anything else besides The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, which, despite Vin Diesel's efforts to ruin it, is an extremely impressive title. It may sound like an odd concept, but here's how it works: You play through the game as normal, but along the way you'll come across little icons to activate which will begin playing a commentary track from those involved in the making of the game telling you about the creation of a particular character or how the environment you're in came about or other neat things like that. Anyway, if the full game is anything near as polished as the demo, it'll be well worth picking up. PC Gamer gave it a 92%
Quake IV also went gold and will be available within the next two weeks or so, but without a demo I think I'll hold off on it. The multiplayer portion of the game has some people hot and bothered mostly because it's a direct port of Quake 3 Arena, but I'm more interested in the single-player aspect which really, from the trailers and footage I've seen, looks to be pretty bland and uninspired. Powered by the Doom 3 engine, at least that had the feeling of dread and isolation going for it to keep you wondering what you were going to find around the next corner, but Quake IV looks to take away the scare factor by giving you some squadmates to fight alongside with. Who knows, it may work, it might not, but I'll hold off until I get something to play.

That's about it for now. I need to start working in the new weekly content I've been meaning to include. I need to do the Fahrenheit review. I guess I should also figure out how to be funny again.

-K.

foil my plans see if i care
 

10-1-05, 4:23 AM

Come on, you couple of single-stomach, micro-cephalic bilobes.

Music: Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone

I updated the What to Think section, finally. I've got to do something about that.

I'll be shooting a film for my Filmmaking I class in the next few weeks and I could use some help. I need three actors, two male and one female, who are or can pass for 28 or older. I also need three locations:
1. An empty apartment, or one I can empty or shift things around for a day, with fairly large windows.
2. A regular, one-bedroom apartment with windows I can see clearly through from a distance.
3. This location really ties into the previous one, I need an area I can shoot the second apartment at from a distance and at, preferably, an even or slightly above angle.

That's about it.

I've been playing around with Fraps and DivX encoding a lot lately, originally inspired so I could use videos in my review of Fahrenheit that I hope to write soon, so I've been taking video captures of pretty much every game I've been playing lately.
It's been a World War 2-themed week, with the pleasant surprise release of a single-player demo for Call of Duty 2, a single-player demo of Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood, and the release of Day of Defeat: Source. So, with nothing better to do at this time in the morning, I'll discuss them... With videos!
(If any of the videos are too large, just log in to FileShack and enable pop-ups for them. Trust them, they're good people.)

Call of Duty 2 - Obviously, the first thing you'll notice in the sequel is that the visuals have been greatly enhanced, detail on the characters and weapons getting the most noticeable improvements, but the gameplay remains relatively unchanged. You're at it again, mowing down lots and lots of Nazis. The maps are much larger this time around, and though I didn't see any evidence of it in the one-map demo, supposedly you'll get to take multiple routes to your objectives in the full game, addressing one of the major gripes of the original. Chatter among the NPCs has also gotten a huge boost, you'll constantly be hearing them shout at each other, giving you hints as to where the enemy is.
Curiously, the health bar has been removed, opting for a different system when it comes to handling damage. If you get shot up a few times the game will warn you to go find a safe spot to recover and after just a couple of seconds you can get back at it. Really, the only way you can get instantly killed is by standing on a grenade or walking in front of a mounted machine gun.
Still, if you're a fan of the original, you should love this.

Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood - Gearbox's sequel to the original game, which came out only seven months ago, puts you in the boots of Joe Hartsock, a character which you commanded in the previous title, as you lead your squad in taking the French village of Carentan.
Nothing here has really been changed from the original, but if you aren't familiar with the series it's a much more tactical World War II shooter than Call of Duty or Medal of Honor. The name of the game is suppression and flanking, most of the time you'll be using half of your men to lay down suppressive fire on squads of Germans so you can lead your assault team to flank them from the sides. It's much more difficult than the more run-and-gun titles, since there are no magic medkits or canteens simply laying around the battlefield and you're not exactly the man of steel when it comes to taking damage. It's a thinking man's shooter, which is a nice change of pace, if a little frustrating at times.
The video is taken from one of the few changes from the original, a level in the new Skirmish mode, which features a unique pack of levels that you can play by yourself or with another person, both commanding your own squads, through different styles of play, be it objective-based, timed assault or defending an area for as long as possible.
It's not for everybody, but you should check it out.

Day of Defeat: Source - If you've played the original, you should know the drill. Day of Defeat originally began as a WWII-themed mod for Half-Life that saw huge success, so Valve snatched up the development team and began releasing Day of Defeat as a stand-alone retail product, though it still remained free for those who owned Half-Life. Like Counter-Strike: Source it's pretty much a straight port of the game to the Source engine with improved visuals and physics. A couple things are different, including the addition of rifle grenades and iron sight aiming for the rifleman classes, though the gameplay is still the same, focusing on objective-based maps and intense infantry firefights.
One of the biggest visual enhancements is that this is the first Source-powered game to include High-Dynamic Range Lighting (HDR), and I completely forgot to turn it on when I made these videos. So I'll just link you to this page where they explain HDR and its use in the upcoming Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
Clip #1 - It's insane I survived as long as I did in the first minute of this video and I could've lasted longer had I not made some mistakes. After I ran up the stairs and into the room, knowing that some enemies would be coming after me, I really should have thrown another grenade down the stairs. Then when the enemy fired the rifle grenade and I went downstairs after him I should have noticed it bouncing back down the stairs with me, which eventually exploded and killed me. Still, it was fun to get five kills in such a short amount of time.
Later I found out that trying to use a machine gun made intended to be mounted on something isn't very effective when you're moving around. It's got a little kick.
Clip #2 - I'm still using the machine gun, except this time properly. I'm glad the first guy that comes around the corner is a bad shot, because I was staring at the map in the upper-right corner and didn't even notice him until he started firing.
Clip #3 - New map and I'm finally getting the hang of things, you'll see the iron sights sure do make a difference in how effective the rifles are at a distance, but it's not long before I decide to whip out one one with a scope.
Is it worth $20? At this point, with only four maps, not really, but there's no doubt Valve will continue to release extra content for it. But it is completely free for those who purchase Gold or Silver Half-Life 2 Steam packages. Sadly, that doesn't apply to those who purchased a Half-Life 2 in a box, even the Collector's Edition. It's not terribly different from the original, but it's still a lot of fun.

Alright, enough being nerdy, I should get to sleep and hope this cold goes away before I have to get up for work.

-K.

go go break it down aykroyd