Game of the Week to Last for the Week: Downhill Jam

The Game: Downhill Jam

The Justification: a 3D streaming web game, and a lot of fun. 

Play it:

Downhill Jam

Don't Forget to Bring A Towel

DON'T!

An Update From the World of Film Featuring 10 Years of Rotten Tomatoes and a new Trailer

First off, here's a video from the 10th anniversary of Rotten Tomatoes. It really shows how crappy movies attract audiences. See how many times someone's response to a film is "I liked it"

Secondly, here's a really interesting trailer, it looks amazing, I just hope they don't turn it into a Brad Pitt showcase instead of an awesome film. It's directed by David Fincher, who made the abomination of Alien 3, however, I don't blame him for it. I've heard through the web that he was brought on late into the project, and his work was constantly interfered with by the studio. Heres the trailer.

Finally, last night, I saw a new film, Fitzgaraldo ( I am certain that is not how it is spelled but I really couldn't spell it since the title is almost as strange as the film) although I found it to be too long with the style featuring minimal editing, the story was intriguing, about a man who wants to bring opera to the Amazon, but needs money, and in earning it, ends up using natives to haul a steamboat over a mountain. Weird huh?

'Ow To Be Bri'ish

Heres a new 'toon I made while taking a break from Shak Budisen. Its a tutorial/ spoof on how to act like a bad stereotype of a British person. Enjoy if you feel like it.

Don't Forget To Bring A Towel!

Game of the Week to Last for the Week: Pacxon

I know many gamers out there have probably played this one already, but for those who haven't, you should.
The Game: Pacxon
The Justification: It's amazing how a web game designer has managed to re-invent Pac Man more effectively than Namco.
Play it:

PacXon

New flash TP animation and film profiles for Cat the Movie 1&2

I'm taking a break from Shak Budisen to work on real films, however, they will have animated components, let me tell you why. Cat the Movie started out as a slideshow project when I got my first Mac, and was playing around with iPhoto and iDVD, and it featured pictures of my cat. Later, I developed sequel slideshows also featuring my cat, with captions added in to make them like a photo comic book. Than, when I got my camera, Cat the Movie was the first film I made with it. The problem was that it sucked. It was a mash up of 2 of my slideshow stories, but it had horrid shaky camera work, mostly single take shots where the camera didn't cut in time, and crappy voiceovers to be the voice of my cat, who, being a cat, was very hard to film with. After cat the movie, I went on to work on my fake nature series Looking at Nature, and then returned to remake cat the movie, this time with slightly better editing and added special effects, but still with crappy voiceovers. The story of these two versions was mostly the same, with the cat being attacked by Mr. Cage (the cat's former owner in the remake) who was a servant of the evil emperor whose goal was to enslave the cats. However, although I completed the re-make as scripted, I decided to add another scene. However, that scene was never shot, leaving the remake partially uncompleted. I took a break from filmmaking for a while and then shot another remake, this time with the evil emperor removed from the plot, with Mr. Cage as the lead villain, whose brain was damaged in a toxic swamp. The film showed his failed attempts to capture the cat in a cartoon styled structure. The cat did not talk in this film. Also, this film was where I started to develop my style, with the opening credits resembling stop motion. Than I wrote 2 scripts, one for a sequel and one for a spinoff. The sequel was delayed due to the fact that the cat would not stay in the place I meant to shoot, because the grass was dry at that time of year. While the sequel was delayed, I set to work on the spinoff Aardvark man, which is halfway finished. However, since I edited while I shot, I started editing more and shooting less, leading to its incomplete state. After that, I started to work on my next flash series The Dumb Adventures of Billee and Frank, several episodes of which are posted on this blog. Than, after completing the six short episodes of that series, I created Pandybatter, and started work on Noggin' it up in Rutabegese, which failed technically. While I was sorting it out, I did my first drawing of Shak Budisen, and started his series. After doing his stop motion, I became interested in stop motion animation. Then, I started work on South Park Memories, which once again got me into film, and when I used a toilet paper character for a brief segment in the film, I got the idea for toilet paper animation, which I did in stop motion, and today in flash. Now I intend to make a new cat the movie sequel with a toilet paper villain combining stop motion, flash, and live action. Heres a taste of what flash TP will look like:

The Future of Animation: Toilet Paper

Ok, I lied, I have to post one more thing before I leave on my trip, some new stop motion animation I just did as a possible component for my next film.

Game of the Week To Last For the Week: Murloc RPG

The Game: Murloc RPG

The Reason: Not only is Murloc RPG a fun RPG which will last for a while, it has amazing graphics for a game of its class.

Play it: http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/murloc_rpg

This post will be the last for 4 days as I will be taking a brief trip.

Film Profile: South Park Memories

Ok, s0, my parents won't let me post my short film here, apparently because there's all like some creepy people on the internet, and since I'm in the film, and they're parents, I'm unable to show you my film style (which is much more refined than my crude animation). I personally think it's kinda lame that I'm billing myself as a filmmaker, and haven't posted any films. So, although its kinda weak, heres some info on my latest film, South Park Memories.

Premise: Convince my parents to let me see the film: South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, by creating a mock documentary showing my fall into insanity from not seeing the movie.

Style: There are three different shot styles, one is in color, fullscreen, and sometimes has a date in the corner and is designed as fake footage from a mental asylum where my character died. Another uses the widescreen setting on my camera (1.66:1), is in color, and features the mock filmmaker I created, Baron Von Helmetier, delivering the premise and message of the film. The majority of the film is in black and white and widescreen, and is designed as fake footage of a fictional childhood, filmed with an actor cast as me, documenting my downfall. However, all parts in the film except for a toilet paper roll, are played by me.

Outcome: Although the film failed to earn me the rights to see the South Park movie, it was entertaining enough to earn me the rights to see more episodes of the show leading up to my viewing of the film at the end of the year.

Shak Budisen and the Has-Beens Update

I have started animation on Shak Budisen and the Has-Beens, after finally finishing the script, which ended up as being about 6 pages long. I also made a new short film which I may post soon.

Samurai Jack Episode XXIII Review

Season: 2

Storyboarded and Written by: Mark Andrews

Plot: Aku sends Demongo, a creature with a collection of souls, to take Jack's, and kill him.

Score: 4

Review: Although at first it seemed like an interesting premise, this episode is marred by two things: Demongo's shrill, irritating, almost painful voice, and the complete lack of depth. It is basically a plot that has been seen before in Jack, with him having to fight from the inside. Unfortunately, the story is secondary to Demongo throwing skulls around and shrieking, which gets quite irritating.

New Feature: Game of the Week To Last For the Week

Here's a new thursday feature. As the name implies, there will be a new free web game posted every week that is good enough to be playable for a week as well as the reason I picked it.
The Game: Super Mario Bros. Flash
The Justification: I didn't pick this game just because it's Mario, as flash Mario games are common. I picked it for its level editor, which will make it last for a long time.
Play it: http://www.onemorelevel.com/game/super_mario_brothers_flash

What's Up With Shak Budisen and the Has-Beens

Ok, I'v been writing the script for Shak Budisen and the Has-Beens for over a week, on and off, and although I'v written around five pages, the longest Shak script yet (Hero Worship was a little more than 1, Love Sucks a little over 2), I just don't feel motivated to finish writing. One of my friends contacted me through YouTube and is going to do the voice for Red Palmer as well as playing drums, however I haven't finished writing yet and after that I still have to animate, so it will be a while before it is done.

Shak Budisen Cutout Fun

I woke up yesterday morning and wanted to do something creative but not worry about scripts or voices. I decided to try traditional hand animation, but after trying to trace the second drawing, I gave up. Instead I cut out the first drawing and took pictures of moving it around. Here it is Hopefully I'll feel motivated and write Shak episode three's ending. Until then, nachos for all.

RIP Sheep in the Big City YouTube

As I got my YouTube account yesterday, I decided to add favorites to my account so I searched for Sheep in the Big City, and found to my horror that it was gone, no doubt nabbed by the administration for copyright. The thing that really annoys me, however, is that there is no DVD of Sheep, it hardly runs on TV anymore, if at all, and it is not available on Itunes (although it used to be), which means no money is being lost on these videos. I was too optimistic to think that they would stay on YouTube. Rest in Peace Sheep, at least I got to see all the episodes.

Samurai Jack Episode XXII Review

Season: 2
Storyboarded and Written by: Genndy Tartakovsky
Plot: Aku sends the best hunters in the galaxy after Jack.
Score: 8
Review: This is one of the first episodes of season 2 that felt like a true Jack episode, and it was refreshing to have a second season episode be so serious and engaging. However, as a serious episode, it runs into the pacing problems that plagued the first episode, especially the long exposition. However, once the chase is on, the episode is solid and entertaining.

Samurai Jack Reviews Return With My Review of Episode XXI

Season: 2
Storyboarded and Written by: I think Paul Rudish and Charlie Bean
Plot: Jack must track down a flatulent dragon.
Score: 7.5
Review: Continuing season 2's focus on humor, episode XXI begins in a silly way with British accented villagers telling jokes, and a crazy bird with his money-crazed shop owning master. However, this is one of the few Samurai Jack episodes where the humorous writing is actually successful. It would have scored higher if not for the ending, which involves Jack traveling through the innards of a dragon. Now I'm all for gross-out humor, but this seems a bit gratuitous and self-indulgent. Plus it takes up the half of the episode which would normally involve an action scene. It's imaginative, but not especially entertaining, and overall, unnecessary.

100 Posts and A New Shak Opening.

I've also been working on the script for Shak Budisen and the Has-Beens. Here's the new opening. When I finally put all the Shak episodes into one file this will be the opening for every episode.

Shak Budisen on YouTube

Cease your putting up with small size videos, Shak Budisen is on YouTube. I finally got my account, so here are the Shak cartoons in bigger size and crappier quality. 

Kung-Fu Panda's Early Reviews Are In

And they're looking pretty good. However, Over the Hedge was critically well received, and I found it cliched and boring. I will remain cynical, but it would be amazing if Kung-Fu Panda was the first Dreamworks movie since Shrek 2 to make me laugh.