Archive for March, 2008

30
Mar

Genre Musical Week: Xena - The Bitter Suite

It’s hard to remember now, but in the 90s Xena: Warrior Princess was a force to be reckoned with.  Basically a mash-up of history and ancient mythology, the show was shot in New Zealand, and had that otherworldly feeling that worked even more effectively in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films.  It also had a (mostly) unspoken lesbian “subtext” between the two stars of the show, which gave it a nice “Batman & Robin” quality.

Somewhere in the depths of the third season (1998) they decided to go for the musical episode.  As the Buffy episode would do, a few years later, the musical was used as a way to break the tensions that had been building up between the main characters over the last few years.

It also had some good, old-fashioned dance numbers:

28
Mar

Kings of Power 4 Billion %

Paul Roberston makes animations that come from a world made out of pure 2D videogames.  HIs first magnum opus, Pirate Babys Cabana Battle Street Fight, was an awesome homage to the 2D brawler.

Kings of Power is a little deeper, and far stranger…  But they’re always entertaining and very well animated.

The images are amazing, even if they are very gory, bizarre , and slightly NSFW. It’s clear that his imgination is only bounded by the limits of time and space.

If you want something a little more hi-rez you can find the download links here.

28
Mar

Sci-Fi musical week continues: Repo! The Genetic Opera

In case you think that the sci-fi musical is only a thing of the past, let me introduce you to a new dose of grand guignol called Repo! The genetic opera:

Clearly this is going to be a weird one, but that may be a good thing.

Yes that is Anthony Stewart Head, so the Whedon connection continues unbroken.

Yeah, that’s Paris Hilton. Whatchagonnado?

27
Mar

Tron in cardboard and plastic

Remaking computer effects with stop motion and props.

It’s also a fine example of the internet art-form known as sweding.

created by freres-hueon
26
Mar

Next Avengers: a.k.a. Avengers Babies

Marvel’s direct to video animation efforts have been uneven at best.  Certainly never living up to the quality of what DC has managed to put out over the last two decades.

This doesn’t look like it’s going to help:

If you can’t hold together you’re narrative hook for the length of the preview, how are you going to manage it for an entire video?

And “The Pixie”?  That’s what you’re going to go with?

Really?