A Bureaucracy of One

A Short Vision

Here is a rather terrifying vision of the detonation of a hydrogen bomb over a city. Aired on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956; posted to io9.com this morning. Reposted here because for some strange reason some of you don't read io9.com. Why don't you read io9.com? You'll make the baby Raptor Jesus cry!

 

 

Animated Movie Night!

I have spent much too much time reading Failbook, and not enough time thinking about blogging, and ... stuff. However, all I was (and am) going to do is post La Planete Sauvage for you all to watch. It is on Youtube in seven parts, and utterly brilliant in the way that only French science fiction can be.

 

 

Or, if you are feeling particularly masochostic, you can try and sit through the Bakshi/Franzetta turd from ten years later, Fire and Ice. I made it through Part 2 before deciding that staring at a wall would be a better use of my time. Embedding is not allowed on it, and that is just as well. Nobody should actually watch it. It is shite.

 

Now, if that isn't your bag, and it shouldn't be, then give Starchaser: The Legend of Orin a try. I saw this with friends on VHS back in '89 or '90, and liked it then. I haven't watched it since, but I recall it being a dumbed-down Star Wars: A New Hope in animated form. You can do worse. So, so very much worse.

 

At The Mountains of Madness

Shamelessly lifted from Ectoplasmosis, this is a nicely atmospheric Italian short film based on H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness".

 

 

Alice in Wonderland Remix

Some 19 year old genius in Australia took sound bites from the Alice in Wonderland movie and remixed them into a trancy-trippy little song that is just mesmerizing!  I already downloaded the mp3, and am listening to the other tracks on Last.fm.



Found via Boing Boing.

Youtube is Eating My Brain - Foriegn Lands Edition

First up is an ode to a misunderstood denizen of Azeroth called "I am Murloch" by Level70 Elite Tauren Chieftain.  Enjoy their subtle musical stylings as you gaze in wonder at the stunning vistas on display!

Then there is the tragic tale of Potapych, the bear who liked vodka.  There is a note at the end of the video that this is based on real events, but my Internet Matlocking has availed me for naught.  Still, this is a very well crafted little movie, with a touching story and wonderful animation style.

Leaving the milk-drinkers of Mother Russia, we now head to an unnamed land that finds itself under siege by the forces of darkness!  Taking a well-deserved break from being heroic, our hero relaxes at an inn, and takes in a bit of the local karaoke.  If you have not played The Bard's Tale for Xbox/PS2, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy.  It'll cost you two fins at a Gamestop, and worth it!

Our final stop is in beautiful India to meet with the brave and beautiful Sita!  Having been held captive for years by the evil Demon King Ravana, Sita is overjoyed at the prospect that her lover Rama has come to rescue her.  "Sita Sings the Blues" is an effort by Nina Paley to tell the story of the Bhagavad Gita from the perspective of Sita, the lover of Rama, and a woman not really given her due.  I wanted to link to Nina's blog so that you could read up on this wonderful project, but none of the links I could find for her seem to be working.  Boo.  On a side note, you can find "Sita Sings the Blues" on Youtube, but the quality sucks.  Hence my use of the Internet Archive version.

More Music Videos That Don't Suck

Last year I posted links to some music videos made using machinima (though several of them were not technically machinima, but simply used footage from in-game cut scenes).  Well, here are some more music videos that I think don't suck*.

First up, Mr. Bright Side by The Killers.  This one is done using The SIMS 2 engine.  A little rough, but entertaining.  And now that the song isn't getting flogged by every radio station around the country, it is even tolerable!

Next up, Lily Allen's Smile - this one also uses the The SIMS 2 engine, but goes a bit further and uses Simlish as well.  Actually, this one falls under "Annoying" after the second viewing, but the first viewing is very funny!  Here is the original video which is also very entertaining, and doesn't become annoying upon a second viewing.

And since I am on a Lily Allen kick, here's one more: Knock 'Em Out, also using the SIMS 2 engine (yes, I am looking for other non-SIMS videos).

Now for a change of pace in the form of footage from the first Bloodrayne game set to a song by Finnish metal band Nightwish.  Because cheesecake and cheesy metal were made for each other.  But the Bloodrayne joy doesn't end there, oh no it does not!  Next in line is Meat Loaf's I'd Lie For You (And that's the Truth), followed up by another Nightwish song, Planet Hell!

Okay, I'm going to go to bed now.

*No pun intended on the Bloodrayne videos.