The Internet is quickly becoming a factory for better and better content. I found this collection of comics where I find everything these days, /Film. The Key of Awesome is a relatively new web show that produces songs a la The Lonely Island. Primarily comprised of singular actor Mark Douglas, all the episodes are RIDICULOUSLY well-put together with quite sinsere production value (meaning Chromakey and some unique editing choices). Hosted under the Barely Political channel, which is also home to Auto-Tune the News and Obama Girl, the songs are all genuinely FAMAZING and the bar for quality has already been set pretty high. I’ve listed my two favorites below. One questions the few, yet fairly glaring inequities of The Dark Knight’s script, while the other is a send-up to Lady Gaga’s odd performance technique. The Dark Knight production features wonderful iterations of Michael Caine’s Alfred, Christian Bale’s Batman, and Heath Ledger’s Joker, all interacting in the most marvelous meta-mash-up I may have ever seen. I LOVE IT. I swear, I might as well just start a “Batman” category while I’m at it.
Posts Tagged ‘Internet’
Trailer for Batman 3
November 24, 2009
Truly Wonderful! Someone has created a mash-up fan-trailer for the next Batman movie. It features Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Johnny Depp as The Penguin and The Joker, respectively. Both actors have been tethered to rumors that they are attached to the newest project despite the fact that Nolan himself hasn’t even publically announced his involvement. Regardless, this trailer is SO good (I still believe there is an art to trailer-makin’) and it makes me PRAY that Nolan goes ahead with a Depp/Hoffman pairing. It will take these two together to try and accomplish what Ledger and Eckhart pulled off. So, without further ado, my Bat-dream movie!
P.S. Also, if you checked out the previous post on Nick’s Commercials and realized that all of the Youtube links were unembeddable, I apologize, I found out too late. You can still use the links above them or just click the links to their Youtube pages.
P.P.S. Bears With Sparklers 
Nick’s Commercials
November 18, 2009
CollegeHumor never fails me. The four videos in the Nick’s Commercials section are a lovely serve up to cheap infomercials for local businesses, costume warehouses, and…well, not much else. But they are hilarious. I wish there were 4000 more of these. My personal favorites are the Costume Warehouse and Winter Wonderland. And Frog. Enjoy.
8 Online Fads You Didn’t Know Were Invented Decades Ago
November 17, 2009
A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and I was pretty blown away by how far-reaching some forms of technology are. I loved learning that lolcats are older than I am. Plus, anything filtered through the lens of cracked.com is always better. What this tells me is that the South Park “Simpson’s did it” mentality that everything is recycled is more real and scarier than any of us could ever imagine. Le Sigh. Yes, I am a nerd.
The Joker Blogs
November 8, 2009
What started out as a simple, single-camera Youtube production has rapidly turned into my favorite series to follow…on any format. The Joker Blogs is a masterfully constructed web series put together by a group of film-savvy batfans COMPLETELY dedicated to the story that all us bat-nerds know and love. Starting up where The Dark Knight left off, this group has created a captivating series chronicaling the Joker’s time in Arkham. Having only glimpsed the main bat-character’s of The Joker, Jeremiah Arkham, Harleen Quinzel (who we still haven’t ACTUALLY ever seen on camera), and Scarecrow (for a single episode), the group has proven that they know how to create so much with so little. Twelve episodes deep and with multiple shorts that coincided with the holidays, The Joker Blogs is currently in the midst of the Joker’s escape from Arkham.
As I mentioned before, many episodes are straight-on shots of the Joker in a confessional/documentary-esque style. What began as Harleen Quinzel’s attempt to document one of her most alluring patients, has turned into a hobby of the Joker’s; he sees the Youtube phenomenon as a cheap, easy, and intriguing way to broadcast his endeavors to the masses at large. The series has almost no budget, however, and is putting together episodes in literally two to three takes at times, yet it still manages to be an amazing stylistic achievement. The simple fact is that talent abounds in this group. From the exquisite scripts to the beautifully constructed web site and marketing scheme, everything about The Joker Blogs screams quality. The MOST amazing and important part of the equation of awesome, however, are the performances. The portrayal of the Joker is spot-on to Ledger’s iteration, with even a few added touches of genius to the character that help it flourish on its own. From the laugh to the cracked voice to the constant quiver that made Ledger’s clearly-unstable machination of the character stand out, The Joker Blog’s interpretation has nailed every facet of the character in the world that they are painting. While it is a bit awkward to not know who is behind the character himself (I couldn’t find the actor’s name anywhere, if anyone else can provide the info, by all means comment or just message me) it’s simply wonderful to see an actor bold enough and talented enough to take the initiative and succeed in recrafting a role that many critics whined “could never be done successfully again.” For the longest time, I was afraid that after Ledger’s death the mainstream would never ever touch my favorite villain again. With efforts like this, however, I feel safe assuming that the most absurd villain of all time will not forever be equated with the late, great Ledger. It simply wouldn’t be fair. These shorts DEMAND to be watched, though. Become immersed (it doesn’t take too long to catch up, most episodes come in at under 3 minutes), and help these guys garner some recognition for the sensational work that they are putting out! Below are some direct links. I have posted the first ever vid, a link to their home site, a link to their Youtube page, and a link to a radio interview the filmmaker did explaining a bit of how the whole process was started. Enjoy!
Songs You Like Performed by People You Don’t Know! (But Should)
November 5, 2009
Forgive the COMPLETELY non-sequitur picture of The Mighty Boosh above, but I am 1. completely infatuated with them 2. currently writing a research paper on them and 3. clueless as to what else to make the picture! So YAY! for the Boosh! Anyway, there are a plethora of cover artists on Youtube. Just as there are a multitude of people with webcam shows and sketch comedy troupes (who would do THAT?). But below is a list of the few that have stood out to me in my internet surfing. Becca Cole (or Becca de la Musique as she so likes to be called) is a lovely little British thing with a lovely little voice to match. I listed her first as I absolutely ADORE her version of Bloc Party’s Flux (Did I mention I have a thing for British girls?). It helps in this instance that she is covering one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artists, but if you go to her Youtube page, she has a PLETHORA of covers that are just as magnificent, just not my particular genre. Pomplamoose (sounds like a Dr. Seuss villain) is an INCREDAMAZING No-Cal-based duo that crank out wonderful covers/videos of “performances” that encompass a mastery of the visual and audible arts. Their cover of Beyonce’s Single Ladies is so good it actually improves upon the original (a LOT). Below the Single Ladies video I have included Jack Conte’s (the male half of Pomplamoose) rendition of Gorillaz’s Feel Good Inc. The maestro pays great homage to the song while adding in a bit of his own element. And finally, ZanyClo is another acoustic cover artist much in the vein of Becca Cole with a beautifully spirited voice. The girl conveys so much with just her magnitude and strength that she puts into every song. Her cover of MGMT’s Electric Feel is fabulous.
There, I feel better. Nothing like an obsessive-compulsive listing of random endeavors to brighten my day! The interwebs can feel like an inundation of content at times, but if you just dig, you can always come up with chunks of gold. For instance, I hear there’s this group called Bears With Sparklers…
Becca Cole: Bloc Pary’s Flux
Pomplamoose: Beyonce’s Single Ladies
Jack Conte of Pomplamoose: Gorillaz’s Feel Good Inc.
ZanyClo: MGMT’s Electric Feel
Disappearing into the Knight
October 28, 2009
CollegeHumor never fails me. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight is wonderful, I will never deny that, however, it does take itself VERY serioulsy. Granted, you’re working with a character steeped in tragedy, sorrow and vengeance, but still, Nolan’s feature has been praised for its dark, gritty atmosphere more than anything else. Which always blows my mind that more parodies haven’t surfaced. Past the Joker Interrogation Spoof, and a few cartoons ALSO found on CollegeHumor, there isn’t too much to lampoon Bale’s Bat-growl. Then comes along this little diddy. I always wondered how long it took ‘ole Bruce to perfect the art of “disappearing” and other tricks of the Knight. I FOUND SOME EVIDENCE!
Halloween Costumes ’10!
October 7, 2009
It’s that time of year again. The leaves are changing, Jack-O-Lanterns are on display, and college girls around the country are trying to come up with what “Slutty” something-or-other they will be this Halloween. Which is what prompted this article. I love Halloween. So it goes without saying that I love an in-depth creative costume choice and loathe a generic, simplistic one. Below are some 2009-centric ideas that I would LOVE to see out in the public domain this Hallo-day.
1. George Lukas and Steven Spielberg raping Indiana Jones, or a stormtrooper.
2. Shakira writhing around in some form of epileptic interpretive dance, as referenced in her She Wolf video.
3. Kanye West-run around all night interrupting people’s conversations with a mic in hand. Bring a Taylor Swift with you to further interrupt.
4. The Mighty Boosh-Vince, Howard, Naboo, Bollo, and Bob Fossil in some form or other. Bonus points for going as one of their more elaborate side characters, like the band from the episode, The Priest and the Beast.
5. Kate from Jon & Kate Plus Eight toting eight babies all tied to a single rope, sans-Jon.
6. A plethora of Lady Gaga’s all fighting for attention and leadership in that poor girl’s clearly multiple-personality-driven head. It would have to be a group outing, but it would COMPLETELY be worth it.
7. I would LOVE to see the entire cast of The Office simply to see if it could be pulled off correctly. As Michael Scott and crew have fairly uniform appearances, it would take quite the striking resemblance of ALL characters involved to pull this one off. If done properly, however, it could be FAMAZING.
8. Christian Bale (who I still love) constantly attacking a lighting guy as he sets up his rig in the middle of the street. This would obviously require two people, and some sort of lighting rig, but with an uncanny Bale look-a-like and a slipping Welsh accent, it could be kind of fun.
9. Fox Studios Destroying Wolverine-This one is VERY high concept but probably my favorite one. Dress up clearly as Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and then spend the rest of the night demolishing toy helicopters (as Jackman does in the film), crappy Deadpools with stitched-up mouths, and comic books in the symbolic act of Fox destroying everything sacred about Wolverine, The X-men, and Marvel Comics.
10. Zombieland-Go with me on this one, I know it sounds generic, but just think, if you and three friends dress as the characters from Zombieland (which was AMAZING, by the way), complete with weaponry, you can spend all night running around interacting with people who dressed up as zombies! Namely, killing them, but that’s not the point.
Things That Rhyme With Orange
September 21, 2009
I Set My Friends on Fire is easily one of my all-time favorite bands. They’re one of a VERY select group of artists (Tenacious D, Bloodhound Gang, Electric Six…yep, that’s about it) that have the ability to produce INCREDAMAZING music and humor at the same time. Their first and only album to date, You Can’t Spell Slaughter Without Laughter came out on October 7th, of ’08. A video for Things That Rhyme With Orange apparently came out in July of this year, yet it managed to completely slip by me. So, without further ado, here is the entire canon of ISMFOF videos. Things That Rhyme With Orange, and my two FAVORITES that the boys did with Smosh.
MORE Making fun of Shakira!
September 18, 2009
Apparently, I was a bit impetuous with my previous post, as there are a LOAD of She Wolf spoofs out there. Below are a few of my favorites. Granted, some of these are FAR better than others. Oh, just make sure to watch the She Worf one. It’s amazing and actually kind of catchy in its own right. I can’t help it, I’m a sucker for Auto-Tune.
