This past weekend, I sat down and started watching HBO’s latest How to Make it in America.  I planned on just watching the first episode or two, but ended up watching the entire season. That may sound like a lot of TV to watch in one sitting, but it’s really only 8, 23 minute episodes. And if you’ve ever watched other HBO shows like Entourage, then you’ll know how they always end it with some type of hook to make you want to watch the next episode right away. So I did.

And the similarities to Entourage don’t end there. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  NY Times previewed the show before it aired calling it “Entourage written backwards”, and that’s right on the money. Instead of following Vinny and the boys party around LA blowing all his movie cash, this show follows two late-20somethings as they struggle to make it. This is the rags part; I’m sure the riches come in later seasons.

Being produced by Marky Mark, it definitely has the same vibe as Entourage and follows all the same plot beats. It always seems like in each episode something good happens, then something bad screws it all up, and then in the end it works out and everyone is all smiles.

Here’s a quick rundown of things I’m liking about this show:

• The protagonists seem genuine and likable (read: not db’s).  It’s easy to find yourself rooting for the guys to do well. And it’s tough watching when things don’t quite work out.
• NYC looks cool.
• The guys go to a lot of cool parties with models. (I’m guessing that’s realistic for New York, right?)
• Their clothes are cool, casual. I’m digging the street style.
• They’re hustlin’!

That last point is what I feel is the most important. I just like the fact that these guys are trying their best to make it any way possible. Just watching the show gets me kinda pumped to go out and get some crazy schemes going.

I really hope that more people who will watch this show and be inspired to go out and try to make it on their own.

If you have the means, this show is worth the harddrive space.

PS – the intro song is pretty rad too:

This is kinda disturbing…

I don’t care that this is just a sponsored video for Samsung cameras and totally fake, it’s still pretty damn rad.

This reminds me of some other classic sponsored fake videos…

Guy Catches Laptop With His Butt

Ray Ban Sunglasses Catch

Watch out kitty, ’cause there’s someone hot on your tail looking for some serious e-fame. They may not be the fastest, but turtles are starting to make a name for themselves on the internets. I can’t quite pinpoint exactly what it is about turtles that’s making this happen, but it’s happening.

Maybe it’s the colour?
Green reminds people of St. Paddy’s Day, and drunkenness on the internets is an instant win.

Maybe it’s their shell?
It’s kinda like a badass Snuggie that also works as self-defence.

Maybe it’s their speed?
They’re easy to catch and therefore easy to photograph and place on the internets.

Maybe it’s because of TMNT?
They never really got old, but I’ve seen more of them online in 2010. Maybe it’s just me.

This really all started with I like turtles…

I like turtles

Zombie Jonathan didn’t realize it, but he really started the turtle renaissance on the web back in 2007.

Turtle sex sounds really cute

… with a shoe.

Turtles can smile?

Who knew they were so happy? This is a new phenomenon that I can get behind. I mean just look at them.

Turtle stacking is popular

Dear owner of multiple turtles,
Please stack them on top of each other. We like this.

Sincerely,
The Internet

MOAR stacking pics here…

Cats <3 turtles too

The internets is now full of turtles…trust me.

So earlier this week as I was flipping through the virtual TV guide listing I saw that Robocop (no wiki link necessary – you know you love Robocop) was on at 8:30pm. “Wicked!”, I said to myself. “I’m recording that for sure”, and I did. Little did I know that the Rogers guide was wrong (shocker!).

Serendipity is a crazy thing. Robocop was actually starting at 9pm, but lucky for me (and now you) I was introduced to the 1984 awesomeness of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.

AMAZING!
Look at that movie’s title!
And look again at that pic I posted… it’s in lolcat speak!!!
In frickin’ 1984!!!

Hit the jump for videos….

I have no idea what the plot of this movie is, but I definitely noticed the lolcat speak. It’s almost perfect grammar by today’s standard.

“NOBUDY CUMZ IN HERE – SEKRIT”

I think the sign in the above screencap was written by the aliens in the movie, but I’m not really sure. Naturally this lead me to the conclusion… lolcat is the language of first contact. Forget morse code or five-tone musical phrase – aliens speak the language of the internet: lolcat. How else could this forgettable 80s movie have predicted this future vernacular? Aliens must have told the writer/director 20+ years ago.

Okay, back to the movie.

Now that I think about it, I really wish my PVR had recorded the entire Buckaroo movie instead of just the final 30 minutes. At first I was disappointed to not be watching Robocop busting baddies right away, but then the bizarreness of this 80s classic really won me over.

From what I saw, this movie has:

• Awesome 80s music
• Awesome 80s fight scenes
• Awesome 80s special fx
• Awesome 80s rubber masks
• Awesome 80s acting
• and Peter Weller

That last point is what really confused me when I started watching. I mean, he looked like Robocop, but he wasn’t a robot. He could have still been a cop though, I think he had a gun. At first I thought CHCH TV messed up and just started airing the movie at the wrong point… but then the aliens came in… with their rubber mask faces. Admittedly it had probably been at least 15 years since I last saw Robocop, but I think I would have remembered him 1) not being a robot, and 2) instead of bustin’ Detroit baddies it was rubber face aliens wearing full dress suits (?!).

Who knew the dude from Robocop was in more movies? And who from CHCH TV thought to make it a double-bill?

Buckaroo is also full of win because of the cast.

Check out all the names you’ll probably remember:

• Robocop-dude
• John Lithgow
• Ellen Barkin
• Jeff Goldblum
• Christopher Lloyd
• Jamie Lee Curtis
• Dan Hedaya
• and Yakov Smirnoff!!

AMAZING!

Awesome.

Heavy Rain is something extremely different. It’s not a game in the traditional sense. It’s not a movie. It’s an experience that I hope more people take the chance to play.

Two weeks ago I wrote some of my initial thoughts after playing the game’s demo, but really that pales in comparison to what the game truly has to offer. After the 30 minute demo I was kind of meh. The new take on the QTE was a cool advancement, the thought/choice decision style design was a fresh idea, but the story didn’t grab me. This completely changed when I played the real game.

This game is pushing the boundaries of what defines a video game. And I love that they’re taking a risk in making gamers do more than just try for a high score.

Weirdest surreal experiences you’ll have in Heavy Rain:

• brushing your teeth
• shaving, while trying to avoid nicks
• drinking OJ
• carrying groceries
• chopping stuff
• making scrambled eggs
• unhooking a bra
• actually remembering things IRL (using MY brain)

Dark and Disturbed

Heavy Rain is one of the most intense gaming experiences I’ve had in a very long time. Part of this comes from knowing that your main characters can die at any time and there’s no going back. This is proven very early in the game when [*minor spoiler*] one of your children dies [/spoiler] and you’re left to live with the consequences.

I’m still not sure why this affected me so much, but the first hour of the game was very emotionally draining. I have no kids. I didn’t grow up in a divorced family. I’m part of the MTV generation that is emotionally detached and feels neither highs nor lows. But this game really made me sad, and weirdly emotional. If this were a movie, I know I wouldn’t have been so invested and attached to the characters. But the way the game draws you into the people’s lives, by doing the daily mundane tasks, it’s a whole other level of immersion and it truly works to make you feel for every character.

The fact that I can choose to sit and watch TV, or go outside, or have a snack, or go to the bathroom, or not wash my hands afterwards, or kill or not kill the bad guy is amazing. And the best thing about these little (and big) decisions is that they definitely make an impact on the story. It makes the story mine. Since beating the game I’ve listened to lots of reviews, and it truly is mind-blowing how many outcomes are possible for this game. Every player really has a different story based on their decisions.

What I liked best about Heavy Rain:

• intense emotion AND action
• cinematic presentation – loved the use of split-screen and 24-like presentation style
• suspenseful musical score really adds to the atmosphere and tension
• pre-rendered cutscenes characters look great – very finely detailed
• extremely hard to put down once you’ve started and are invested in the story
• truly makes you think and regret the choices you make/didn’t make
• there is no “game over”, the story always continues regardless of whether you hit the button or not
• there are A LOT of WTF moments where I actually screamed that at the TV
• the decisions you make are very difficult
• the story is very adult, and I mean in the mature, not sleezy, way
• it’s something extremely different, and different is good.

What’s lame about Heavy Rain:

• MAJOR plot holes and red herrings! After the end credits rolled I literally sat there and said “What about this? This part doesn’t make sense! How could they not even address this thing?”. Maybe it was my path choices though. Perhaps some parts would have made sense had I make a different choice along the way. Who knows? I guess this is like life where you don’t find out all the details along the way.
• in-game character animations are stiff and difficult to control at times
• antiquated character ‘tank controls’ (see above bullet)
• terrrrrrrible voice acting (some reviews say it’s better to play with the original French voices and use English subtitles)
• the uncanny valley is super distracting at times, and very noticable in our post-Avatar world
• they didn’t need to add the nude scenes. I feel it would have been a classier move, and more adult, if they actually left them out. This still reminds me that games can be juvenile and are largely targeted at teenage boys. Even though I say this, it’s not gratuitous or any more than you’d see in regular rated-R movies nowadays.

How Heavy Rain might change the future of games & movies:

• Branching story paths - this can already be seen in recent games like Mass Effect 2, but with Heavy Rain ALL your characters may die… there are 20+ possible endings. Imagine if future home DVD/Blu-Ray movies offer your the chance to change the ending… what if I wanted Jake Sully to not join the Na’vi?
• Stronger narrative – FPSs like CoD:MW2 are fun and extremely popular, but sometimes I really want something more than just blowing stuff up.
• Mature content – to steal a phrase from Jerry Seinfeld, this game is “dark and disturbed”. There’s no doubt that the content in this game will inspire other developers to think differently. This game also features TONS of violence and gore - if you so choose – but it’s justified and in context. Unlike most of today’s games, you really need to think before you pull the trigger and you may pay the price for it afterwards.
• Immersive controls - aka “finger twister”. I think there was one point in the game where I had all 4 shoulder buttons pressed, plus 3 of the face buttons and I literally pressed another button with my nose! But in the context of the situation, it all made sense. When the character on screen has their hands full doing lots of difficult things, so do you. It totally adds to experience. You definitely feel the tense struggle that the character is going through. It may sound strange, but it works.

Now that I’ve written this, I NEED more people to play the game. You won’t believe how hard it is for me to keep biting my tongue not telling you WHO the Origami Killer is!!

Two things that would have made this game more PHENOMENAL:

1. Avatar character graphics and motion capture
2. Project Natal

Yesterday the band OK Go won the internet… AGAIN! It was nearly impossible to be on Twitter, Facebook or any type of tech/media blog without hearing about their new Rube Goldberg inspired video for This Too Shall Pass.

What’s really amazing (other than the fact that they were able to pull of the video in a single rolling shot) is that they were able to kill it on YouTube for the second time. These guys understand what it takes to make an impact online. Back in 2006 they made a huge splash on the web thanks to their YouTube smash Here It Goes Again, which won them a YouTube Most Creative Video award and then a Grammy the next year for Best Short Form Music Video.

This video is a must watch:

What’s really interesting is that the band has recently been able to measure their success against their use of sharing videos and their exposure on YouTube. When their record label recently disabled embedding of their music videos, they noticed dips in ticket and merch sales.

Check out the band’s recent interview about how they made the video and the sharing issues with their label after the jump.

UPDATED WITH WORKING VIDEO!

Here’s a parody infomercial brought to you by Milk. Those dairy farmers know funny.

In case you haven’t yet heard, Chat Roulette is taking the webs by storm lately. It’s definitely getting it’s 15 minutes as the internet flavour of the week. After last week’s NY Times article, I’m seeing the site mentioned everywhere I go (online).

It truly best the internet has to offer… and at the same time, the NSFW worst.
As of this moment, there are >20,000 users online. It’s getting pretty popular.

If you haven’t gone there for at least a few minutes, you’re really missing out. It’s an interesting study into the voyeurism and anonymity that is the internet. I could go on for a while about the in’s and out’s of what the site has to offer, but this documentary below does an amazing job at showing what it’s all about.

There’s also lots of great lol-worthy screenshots on Buzzfeed here and here.

ENJOY! But watch out too.