All Hope Is Lost: Salvation

Presented in the style of an Outer Limits episode, Salvation -- by Michael Ballestero-- is an outstanding sci-fi story, brilliantly told.
Despite the brevity of a six minute run time, Salvation does an excellent job world building, inferring a fully realized universe, through a single fully realized character.
This short film wonderfully succeeds with interesting me in seeing more of this universe, and this character. Regretably, there does not seem to be more.

ART of Table Turning: It’s a trap!

ART is a clever short film from NoControl Cinema -- a small, Zuerich based video production company managed by Marco von Moos, who wrote and directed.

Exhibiting the NoControl trademark deception, ART is an intriguing “turn-about intruder” thriller dramedy. Nothing is what it seems, as a twisty-turny series of duplicitous deceptions, misdirections and reversing double-crosses unravels to reveal a mobeus strip of interlaced conspiracy. Hunter and prey shift, and shift again. Who is playing whom in this increasingly complex “Who’s on first?” scenario?

You may also watch ART on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SXBYmbarLE

Unbound: that first step, it's a doozy

With Unbound, Jonathan Brebner devises an intriguing adaptation of the phrase “One step forward, two steps back”. This terrific short film demonstrates how a huge story can be built from a small nugget of an idea... and that you don’t always need a lot to get a lot. A connection forming between two strangers in passing can be a powerful phenomenon.

Unbound from Jonathan Brebner on Vimeo.

The Bridge of Marlon Torres

In general, I don’t care for war stories—especially those in a contemporary setting like WW2. They bore me.
Which is why it is weird that I chose to watch this one. Something about the look and feel of The Bridge compelled me to start watching... and then keep watching to the end. This is no ordinary war story.
Only afterward did I realize this wonderful film produced by Amy Ng, was written, directed, shot & edited by Marlon Torres. The Marlon Torres of Torres Studios , who made another spectacular short film I love called The Last Son of Celeste (which appears on this blog).

The Bridge - Official Teaser from Marlon Torres on Vimeo.

And you would be doing yourself a disservice if you did not immerse yourself in his beautiful Pacifica video series of shore scenes.
Besides an adept filmmaker, Marlon is also a photographer of some skill, with samples available on his site.

Back To Frank Black promo vids

The Back To Frank Black Campaign organized a contest to design movie posters for a potential Millennium movie. Helping to promote the poster project, campaign supporter Joselyn Rojas proves herself a skillful video composer by crafting three marvelous promo videos. Which you can see on the BTFB main website and their youtube site .
In each vid, she brilliantly synchronizes pacing, scene selection and the Inception movie trailer music I love so much, to make a soul stirring and interest inciting sequence.

To The Beat Of A Different Drummer: Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko

To my great satisfaction, I was fortunate to witness Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko --Texas Branch provide the fantastic opening performance for Kaminari Taiko (at Miller Outdoor Theater).
I'm keen for Taiko... I've even written a story imagining my Arcanum character Cassie and her two best friends forming an all percussion band.
I am also mightily enamored by martial arts being mixed with, or performed as, dance... which is one of the reasons I loved M. Night’s The Last Airbender movie.
And RMD Texas does a splendid example of this.
To be fair, the Kaminari Taiko group presented an excellent concert, rife with intense, passionate energy and vibrant, well crafted choreography and musical skill. Plus, they featured the biggest drum in America.
But RMD really made an impression on me, because they incorporate more martial arts elements.
As well as included a certain stunning female performer whose beauty and grace—in both manner and appearance-- captivated me, and whose adeptness embodies the art at its pinacle (her name is Megan Clark; she can be seen at the far left of the following video sample).


More videos for “Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Texas” and “kuminari taiko” are available by searching Youtube

SAVE THE FUTURE novelette, by Sean Stubblefield

“Save the future by saving the past?” I ask you, thinking out loud. “What does that mean?”

Integrating symbolic poetry with prose, SAVE THE FUTURE narratively critiques and challenges the “corporatization” of media and Hollywood mentality. This unique 85 page novelette is a Cassie O’Brien adventure, as tribute to Artemis Eternal Wingmen.

SYNOPSIS: Media has become extensively and intricately insinuated into our common, everyday existence.
Demanding a steady supply of diverse entertainment and information, The Audience voraciously and habitually consumes multitudes of various media.
But unfortunately, most of The Audience is made unaware or indifferent that mainstream media resources they normally take for granted are actually being capitalized & commercialized to create a prison for the mind.
Subverting The Audience through unscrupulous consolidation and manipulation of media, The Conglomerate -- an insidious clandestine and power hungry organization—seeks global domination.
Dazzled by diversion and deception, and overwhelmingly increasing magnitude of media options, The Audience is distracted and gradually dumbed-down with mindless entertainment & tabloid journalism.
Disgusted by this media corruption, a visionary named Jessica Mae Stover stepped forth to oppose them, initiating the Artemis Eternal movement to rally likeminded individuals dubbed Wingmen behind a banner of media literacy and liberty.
One of these courageous Wingmen is you.
With a precocious youth and a sage elder as your traveling companions, you will embark on a daring stream of consciousness adventure in the avatar of an Artemis Eternal Wingman to confront The Conglomerate tyranny. Along the way, a mysterious ally joins your quest, and helps you liberate The Audience from the pervasive & corruptive influence of The Conglomerate and… SAVE THE FUTURE
...$10...