http://www.toshistation.com Nerd Weblog en-us Copyright 1996-2007, Toshistation.com http://www.toshistation.com/images/88x31-toshi.gif http://www.toshistation.com http://backend.userland.com/rss Collecting Headquarters (www.collectinghq.com) Drive. Totally convincing.

]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/A_Real_Human_Being_151807.asp Wed, 08 May 2013 15:33:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/A_Real_Human_Being_151807.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog over here about a guy who goes back three seconds. Part of the 48 Hour Film Project (where projects are written, shot, edited, and scored in 48 hours).]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/A_Little_Bit_Behind_151383.asp Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:39:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/A_Little_Bit_Behind_151383.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog Movie Manifest came to 102, just a couple shy of the mark. The two-per average will make for a nice target in 2013, which will be the 20th anniversary of the Manifest. We also failed to knock out our final two Kurosawa films (Dreams and The Quiet Duel). No excuse for that.

The five winners this year were 13 Assassins, Looper, Django Unchained, The Hobbit, and, let's say, Cabin in the Woods.

There really weren't any films that stood too far out from the pack in 2012. Cabin in the Woods or Looper could easily be swapped out with Trollhunter, The Raid Redemption, Ip Man, or Argo. Other solid entries to the lineup included Safety Not Guaranteed, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, The Front Line, and Prometheus, which fired on every cylinder except story, which is almost forgivable given how flat out gorgeous the whole thing looked. Almost.

Losers were The Wolfman, Green Lantern, and Cars 2. I'm convinced Cars 2 went to theaters instead of straight to DVD just to get a lemon on Pixar's previously unblemished track record and take off some of the pressure. Other movies we wish we could unsee for 2012: The Grey (despite what you may have heard, it was blah.), Resident Evil: Retribution, Taken 2, and The Amazing Spiderman.

Looking into 2013, expectations are high for: Only God Forgives (Nicolas "Drive" Refn and Ryan Gosling), Pacific Rim, Elysium (Neill "District 9" Blomkamp), Oblivion, and of course Star Trek Into Awesomeness. We'll also be gettin' The Hobbit 2: Smaug Alert next Christmas. World War Z and Man of Steel each contain the ingredients necessary for greatness, but the recipes are tricky and prone to failure.

See Also:
2011 Year End Review
2010 Year End Review
2009 Year End Review
2008 Year End Review
2007 Year End Review
2006 Year End Review
2005 Year End Review
2004 Year End Review]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/2012_Year_End_Review_149686.asp Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:21:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/2012_Year_End_Review_149686.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog generator to dummy up text for countless websites - but no longer! At last, a reasonable substitute. Behold Riker Ipsum:

"Besides, you look good in a dress. Some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you.Maybe if we felt any human loss as keenly as we feel one of those close to us, human history would be far less bloody. I can't. As much as I care about you, my first duty is to the ship. Now, how the hell do we defeat an enemy that knows us better than we know ourselves? Well, that's certainly good to know. Congratulations - you just destroyed the Enterprise. I'll be sure to note that in my log. Computer, belay that order. Your shields were failing, sir. Fate protects fools, little children and ships named Enterprise. Come on. Let's get out of here, Commander."

Other notable Lorem Ipsum generators:

Hipster Ipsum
Samuel L. Ipsum
Fillerama
Simpsonipsum]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/Computer_belay_that_order_149623.asp Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:20:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/Computer_belay_that_order_149623.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog Pacific Rim has at long last been unleashed, and it does not disappoint:

Giant monsters erupting from the molten belly of the Earth? Check. Unprecedented destruction, city-wide panic, and crowds fleeing in terror? Check. Impossibly huge robot suits engaging in ridiculously inefficient but undeniably awesome hand-to-hand monster combat? Check and check!

I assume at some point in the finale a couple of those robot suits fuse together to form a super-mecha-Voltron-style-fist-firing emancipator of monster oppression.

Finally a big budget monster movie with a director capable of delivering the goods. Can't wait. Made for IMAX. Fingers crossed it isn't in 3D.]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/Pacific_Rim_149316.asp Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:23:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/Pacific_Rim_149316.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog Wyrmwood is completely fantastic. Full-screen HD viewing is highly recommended:

It's being funding via some Kickstarter-like deal called "indiegogo". They've surpassed their goal, which presumably means we'll be getting 83 additional minutes of apocalyptic undead gloriousness sometime next summer.]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/Wyrmwood_149142.asp Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:36:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/Wyrmwood_149142.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome series is finally kicking off with a ten-part web series. First ep is Nov 9th. Hopefully this whole "Internet" fad lasts long enough for us to get in all ten.

Ronald Moore's name is conspicuously (disappointingly) absent from this project, as are any actors from the 2004-2009 series (makes sense, being a prequel and all). Bear McCreary did provide the score though, which is an absolutely critical component to these new BSG offerings.

The webisodes will be collected into a movie for the Syfy channel next year.

]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/Thank_the_Gods_148792.asp Thu, 08 Nov 2012 13:27:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/Thank_the_Gods_148792.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog these before/after VFX reels that special effects houses like to put out, and this Game of Thrones deal is no different. Some pretty large spoilers in here:

The point of these demonstrations is to show off what's been digitally added, but in this particular instance I'm way more impressed by the volume of set pieces that are real. Castles, cliffs, and camps - an alliterative cornucopia of meat-space locations. This show has got to cost a fortune to produce. Money well spent.]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/Mother_of_Digital_Dragons_148219.asp Thu, 27 Sep 2012 09:44:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/Mother_of_Digital_Dragons_148219.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog Art of the Title.com has an interview with David Fincher about his title sequences. Terrific article. Includes some really nice clips from his films. They gloss pretty quickly over Zodiac (fine, never was a fan of the titles nor the film) and Fincher isn't keen on discussing Alien 3 (a movie we did not hate).

]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/David_Fincher_A_Film_Title_Retrospective_147920.asp Fri, 31 Aug 2012 09:27:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/David_Fincher_A_Film_Title_Retrospective_147920.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog It's good stuff, assuming you enjoyed his 2004 Punisher movie (which was also good, despite John Travolta as the heavy).]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/Dirty_Laundry_147062.asp Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:01:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/Dirty_Laundry_147062.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog Star Trek intro, re-invented with text and flashy animations by Detroit design firm The Quintek Group:

]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/To_Boldly_Go_146431.asp Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:47:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/To_Boldly_Go_146431.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog Shop.HBO is selling a life-sized "Throne of Iron" from their Game of Thrones series at a very reasonable $30,000.00.

"This custom chair is designed to mimic the seat of kings in the Seven Kingdoms. On the show, the Iron Throne was constructed by Aegon I Targaryen, the first king of the Seven Kingdoms. He made it from the swords surrendered by his enemies. Legend has it, it's made of a thousand swords that took 59 days to hammer out into a throne."

Sadly, HBO went with fiber-glass and resin rather than the melted blades of vanquished enemies. Still impressive. I went ahead and ordered one for the office here at work. Put it down as "ergonomic chair" on the expense report so as to forestall any suspicion the suits in Finance may have.

A buddy of mine saw this, the price tag, the fiber-glass, and concluded he would not pay 30k - even if it were made of real swords. That is a fiscally responsible response. Now, if the swords were actually from my fallen enemies, the price tag might be justified. However, there are two show-stopping issues:

1. I do not believe even a single one of my enemies owns a sword.

2. Even if they did, I have not yet acquired enough enemies to forge an iron ottoman, much less an entire chair.

]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/Winter_is_Coming_146169.asp Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:41:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/Winter_is_Coming_146169.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog
The Walkie Talkie Dead
More Glove and Boots "video blog" hi-larity. No point in clickin' if you aren't down the The Walking Dead. A great show, despite some really drawn-out plot lines. "Take your finger off the button, Rick!"

130 Episodes of the The Simpsons. At the Same Time.
The first 3:20 of 130 epsiodes (see also: every single Itchy and Scratchy episode stitched together in a single 50 minute orgy of violence).

The Dukes Of Hazzard All About Jumps
Supercut of every jump the General Lee ever done jumped (seasons 1-6 only, for whatever reason). The Internet was born for such spectacle.

Functional Akira bike
Additional photos (and Japanese details) right here. Read all six volumes of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira manga late last year. Fantastic stuff. Stupifyingly detailed artwork with a story far more accessible than the confounding animated movie of the same name. Pacing was a little slow, however. Felt like the story could've been wrapped up in 2,000 pages instead of 12,000 pages.

Gato Jedi vs Gato Sith
Cat fight, with lightsabers.

The Daly Show: Episode 7 "The Daly Superheroes"
Nathan Fillion joins Bruce Campbell as one of those actor guys who should be way more famous than they are. Stupid Hollywood.

Turkish Star Wars
Why pony up for fancy special effects when you can splice Star Wars into your movie? You really need only endure a few minutes to appreciate the absolute depths of the terribleness at work here.

Happy Birthday David
Another Ridley Scott Prometheus "viral" video. Good stuff, though completely unnecessary - our anticipation for this movie could not possibly be higher. Just saw Michael Fassbender in Shame a couple weeks ago. Arty, thoroughly depressing, and entirely too much Fassbender (if you catch m'drift).

Looper
Who didn't love a time travel movie? Plus that Joseph Gordon-Levitt guy has some chops.

Primer
The time travel made-for-the-price-of-a-sandwich independent movie Primer is now available on Youtube in its entirety. One of the Movie Manifest Top Five of 2005.

Drive-Thru
"The only thing more intense and serious than the Ryan Gosling movie Drive is this story about one man trying to navigate the shadowy world of fast food drive-thrus."]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/Videohrama_144736.asp Sat, 31 Mar 2012 13:50:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/Videohrama_144736.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome trailer that was shown at Wondercon last weekend is now available to the masses. From the BSG wiki: "Blood and Chrome is a television pilot (in production as of February, 2011) that follows the exploits of a young William Adama during the First Cylon War."

The soundtrack - that sets the pace of the editing - is Trent Reznor's Reznorified "Immigrant Song" cover, originally done for the opening credits (and trailer) of David Fincher's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

No word if this is a series or movie or what. I do know, from what my eyeballs were able to harvest out of the frenzied split second clips, it's looking better - and entirely more exciting - than my expectations. Hopefully Blood and Chrome will live up to this trailer, despite the lack of BSG mastermind Ronald Moore.

It's not just regular science fiction. It's actually good.]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/They_Have_a_Plan_144421.asp Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:05:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/They_Have_a_Plan_144421.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog Prometheus trailer up at the Apple.com trailer park. Holy mother of monkeys, June 8 cannot possibly arrive fast enough.

There's a UK version as well that's likely worth your 2 minutes 30 seconds - I assume they dub in common Brit phrases like "bloody brilliant" and "innit?" and "'ello wot have we 'eer?".

See Also:
Official movie website
Weyland Industries
Our Family is Growing (Prometheus Viral Video)
Peter Weyland's 2023 TED Talk]]> http://www.toshistation.com/story/Your_Prometheus_Trailer_Has_Arrived_144376.asp Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:16:00 CST http://www.toshistation.com/story/Your_Prometheus_Trailer_Has_Arrived_144376.asp Toshi Station: Geek Weblog