CHECK IT: Ruin - An incredible post-apocalyptic animated short

Amid the seemingly unending sea of animated shorts that pop up online from time to time, none has stood out as much as Wes Ball's Ruin. Ball is an eight year veteran of Hollywood, where he has primarily stayed behind the scenes, doing graphic work for HBO and special features featurettes Well no more of that. With Ruin, Mr. Ball  has launched himself into the limelight, and we can expect to hear a lot more from him and his company, OddBall Animation.

Naturally, any news will be accompanied by many ballin' puns from yours truly.

What stands out about the short is the visceral feel of the action, an area where other animated science fiction shorts, notably the heralded Rosa, have stumbled. Any great action director imbues their work with a certain kineticism that heightens the tension immeasurably. Whereas the action in Rosa is stilted, as if the characters are floating; silkily dancing around each other in a pantomime of fighting, Ruin is an eight minute long exercise in the act of gut-wrench.

If the recent announcements that Rosa and previously Salted short Archetype will receive feature-length adaptations, surely we can expect the same for Ruin. Or at least a major directing gig for Ballin' Wes Ball, a name we'd do well to remember.

Hit the jump to watch Ruin.

Something we can all agree on: NINJA TURTLE ACTION FIGURES.

Playmates Toys is releasing a line of 6 inch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures that harkens back to the series roots. That means no terrifying realistic renders and none of whatever this is. It means pure Saturday morning, 6 am, four-bowls-of-Reeses-Puffs bliss.

Now let me get something out of the way. I'm not your run-of-the-mill Ninja Turtles fan. I'm not that guy who rocks a Ninja Turtles hoodie to a kegger, then says something like, "Man, I fuggin' love Ninja Turtles! HAHA So cool! When the evil Splinter attacks? I fuggin' hate that crazy Splinter dude, why does he need that mask?" I'm the guy that's punching that dude in the face, demanding he apologize for blaspheming the most honorable Master Splinter by confusing him with the vile Shredder.

I had boxes, no, crates of Ninja Turtle action figures as a kid, and all I can say is that I wish any were as cool as these. The new line features a ridiculous amount of articulation points; even the fingers can be moved individually. I come from a time when you were lucky to get two shoulders and a waist that rotated, so this is blowing my mind.

Hit the jump to check out all the members of the world's most fearsome fightin' teenagers.

HIP HOP IS DEAD

It finally happened. Okay, to be fair, this was a long time in the making, and should come as no surprise to anyone having endured the roughly ten years of pretty abysmal output from the genre. Sure, there were flashes brilliance here and there, but the aughts also bore the artist Chingy, mind you. I knew it was terminal after Little Brother broke up, but I thought we'd have more time... I was wrong. The ailing movement took a turn for the worse after hearing this, and finally succumbed to its injuries surrounded by close friends and family this morning upon learning of the release of G.O.P. campaign tool "Hoot for Newt." I wish I were kidding. Reportedly, the genre's lasts words were, "F'real? Fuck that, I'm out this piece."

Hit the jump for the wackness fraught "joint" that killed hip hop. And before you ask, yes, these kids do hail from Florida.

Attention All Trill Ass N****s, Three 6 Mafia To Play Portland Friday 27 January 2012

Yes, that's right. If you weren't already tipped off by the recent rash of pharmacy robberies, Academy Award winning, American hip hop group Three 6 Mafia are, in fact, Rose City bound.

In what is sure to be Portland's most 'throwed' show in recent memory, the group that once ate so many shrimp, they got iodine poisoning (swag) is poised to soundtrack a night of syrup-laden debauchery the likes of which we haven't seen since... well, since the last time Three 6 Mafia came to town. Those of you stockpiling promethazine-codeine for a rainy day, this is your moment, provided it's not expired like our bottle. You had better hightail it to the corner store before they sell out Sprite and Jolly Ranchers though.

Tickets are available here.

Now, for your listening pleasure, we present to you, the official music video for Three 6 Mafia's 'Sippin on Some Syrup'. Enjoy.

Normally, I would never do this: Spider Man/Drive Mashup

As a rule when faced with anything that is completely bullshit, I'm vehemently opposed to franchise mashups (dude, what if, like, Harry Potter was wearing a Han Solo vest and it was like "Harry Solo?!!"), but switching the scorpion jacket for a spider jacket just works too perfectly.

Check out Yale Stewart's tumblr for more great stuff.

And you can't miss his hilarious take on the Justice League as lil' whippersnappers,
Little League.

Check it: Archetype - short film

Visual effects supervisor Aaron Sims showcases his talents in this short film about a robot warrior who decides he no longer wants to serve his primary functions. Intrigue ensues.

The usually modus operandi for visual effects gurus showcasing their work with a short film is to include a lot of technical wizardry, but to only hint at something resembling a story. Sims bucks that trend, and is able to develop the main character pretty succinctly, and the result is a nice little short that showcases his storytelling abilities as much as his special effects prowess.

But you've gotta lose the super-zoom at the beginning, dog. That's never been cool.

[spotted on twitch]
[Aaron Sims' website]

 

Check it: Der Nurburgring Infographic

From: carbuzz.co.uk 

Carbuzz, which is some sort of British car-buying site, has put together an awesome infographic compiling a map of one of the world's most famous race courses with key statistics about it's history and topography. It's been featured on Top Gear multiple times, as well as in top-tier racing games like Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo. I imagine the 26 Euro fee for a public lap is well worth it, provided you don't end up as one of the 3-12 annual fatalities. (Doesn't that seem like a pretty wide spread to be considered an "average?")

Regardless, few things that kill three to twelve people a year are as cool as the Nurburgring.

[spotted on jalopnik]

Get Down with the Nazi hunters: Danger 5 heads for the airwaves.

After a near-perfect 5 part webseries run, Dario Russo's Danger 5 is gearing up for a television run in its native Australia. The World War 2-if-it-happened-in-1965 spy spoof is Russo's follow-up to his dementedly funny homage to Italian B-movies, Italian Spider Man. Which, if you haven't seen, you should probably see --> Right her.

While the full ten episode arc of Italian Spider Man was never quite able to regain the stylishly unstylish fervor of its opening episode, Danger 5: The Diamond Girls is absurdly funny throughout. It's like if Team America: World Police made babies with OSS 117 - Cario: Nest of Spies.

Hit the jump to check the latest promo for Danger 5, as well as the first episode of the webseries, Danger 5: The Diamond Girls.

GTA IV Terminator Mod

While playing Grand Theft Auto IV, I've often remarked, as I slowly march into a squadron of SWAT teams, absorbing hundreds of bullets directly to the dome, that Grand Theft Auto is the best Terminator game ever made. Someone with significantly more programming/design expertise clearly agrees with me, and has modded GTA IV to reskin the player as the iconic T-101.

Added bonus: The game's stilted, mechanical animations now make so much more sense!



[spotted on Kotaku]

Big K.R.I.T. x Clams Casino

Genre-defying producer Clams Casino of "I'm God" fame reworks Big K.R.I.T.'s Moons & Stars to his liking, eschewing his decidedly darker sonic aesthetic in favor of brighter tones and relaxed hues here. Sounds like summer to me. Peep game. (via Fader)

Alien vs. Predator Chess Set. Yes please.

Deviant Artist Joker-Laugh has sculpted up a fantastically cool Alien vs. Predator themed chess set, that manages to improve on the overall quality of both Alien vs. Predator films combined.

Hit the jump for more photos.

Mainstays of Creeping on the Down Low

Every now and then, you come across a truly special kind of website out there that, well, without getting too graphic, inspires in your nether regions the kind of fervor that makes babies happen. And no I’m not referring to one of those uninspired streaming porn sites, of which there are like a million equally awesome ones at the moment. How original would that be?

Don't think for a second that I'm not eternally grateful for the advent of streaming video, a life-changing event in and of itself, which just so happened to coincide with my coming into my own sexually. I've learned a lot of cool moves over the years by watching, and have the utmost appreciation for its contribution to the furtherance of my own sexual education.

Check it: It's the future!

4 millimeters. (Insert penis joke about someone I don't like then move on.) That is how thin LG's new OLED television is. You may recognize it from the future. Click through to LG's blog to check out an insane amount of specs that I'm not patient enough to regurgitate, but all sound really impressive.

Another fine addition to the "Models Pointing at Things" Archive.

Hit the jump to see a video of some accented fellows discussing the forebear of the above TV over a year ago:

Check It: Raiders of the Lost Ark opening recreated with old adventure footage

Before George Lucas went lost his grip on reality, fell into a pit of madness, and dragged one of the best directors of all time down with him, he actually had a pretty good idea to create a film that paid homage to classic adventure movies and serials from his childhood. With considerable help from Steven Spielberg and a terrific crew, Raiders of the Lost Ark managed to perfectly capture the essence of its influences.

The extent to which Raiders mimicked classic adventures is documented in this short comparison piece that recreates the opening sequence of the 1981 classic by stitching together similar footage from 30 adventure films made between 1919 and 1970. It's worth a look.



[via slashfilm]