The site is going on a little bit of a vacation for the time being, but will return (in one form or another) soon.
Keep your eyes peeled...
Cheers,
The Alchemist
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
A/V CLUB- Merge Miami Film & Media Conference!
Last week, while the site was on a little bit of a hiatus, The Alchemist was on beautiful Miami Beach covering the Merge Miami Film & Media Conference, where the movers and shakers of the film and television industries met with filmmakers and artists for a series of panels about such subjects as securing financing, landing a distribution deal, and the role of media in society.
Thanks to our friends at Merge Miami, Hodge Podge Productions, and Wow TV, you can watch some highlights from the weekend:
DAY 1
After the first day of panels, The Alchemist was there to check out fashion designer (and Project Runway season 1 winner) Jay McCarroll's new collection. Jay is a super-nice guy, was extremely gracious and just as hilarious-- if you get a kick out of the video, you can only imagine what it was like that night, especially after those complimentary vodkas...
DAY 2
THE ALCHEMIST WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE AT MERGE MIAMI, THE GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL, JAY MCCARROLL, AND ALL THE AMAZING FOLKS WE MET FOR THE OPPORTUNITY AND A FANTASTIC WEEKEND! IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE BLAST, AND WE'D LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU ALL NEXT YEAR!
http://mergemiami.com/
*Merge Miami logo courtesy Merge Miami
*Merge Miami video clips by Hodge Podge Productions, courtesy Merge Miami
*Special thanks to Wow TV (http://wowtv.tv/) for hosting the videos
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
NOISE- FIRST LOOK: "Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free" video by Zombie Zombie!
I don't know who Zombie Zombie are, and I've never heard their music before, but I stumbled across this video tonight and was completely blown away by how flawless the animation is.
If you've ever worked with puppets or armatures and done this kind of work, you know how difficult it is to make the animation look this smooth, natural, and believable. Oh, and if you're a stop-motion geek who likes G.I. Joes and your favorite horror movie is John Carpenter's THE THING, you're gonna wanna see this.
http://www.myspace.com/therealzombiezombie
http://www.myspace.com/toutsanscoeur
*"Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free" song by Zombie Zombie. "Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free" video by Simon Gesrel and Xavier Ehretsmann, song and video courtesy Zombie Zombie, Mssrs. Gesrel and Ehretsmann, and Versatile/Boomboomtchak! (record label)
*Special thanks to Youtube.com for hosting the video and user JeanCarpentier for posting it.
If you've ever worked with puppets or armatures and done this kind of work, you know how difficult it is to make the animation look this smooth, natural, and believable. Oh, and if you're a stop-motion geek who likes G.I. Joes and your favorite horror movie is John Carpenter's THE THING, you're gonna wanna see this.
http://www.myspace.com/therealzombiezombie
http://www.myspace.com/toutsanscoeur
*"Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free" song by Zombie Zombie. "Driving This Road Until Death Sets You Free" video by Simon Gesrel and Xavier Ehretsmann, song and video courtesy Zombie Zombie, Mssrs. Gesrel and Ehretsmann, and Versatile/Boomboomtchak! (record label)
*Special thanks to Youtube.com for hosting the video and user JeanCarpentier for posting it.
Friday, April 18, 2008
NOISE- Download the new Gnarls Barkley record for FREE!
After releasing two fantastic neo-soul-psychedelic records, the mad geniuses Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse (known to the world at large as Gnarls Barkley) are at it again, this time releasing their latest album The Odd Couple for free!
But there's a catch: IT'S BACKWARDS!
Elpuoc ddO ehT is one 38 minute, 45 second track full of Danger Mouse's crazy-ass beats and Cee-Lo's inimitable soul croon, all in reverse.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, there's a pretty good chance the duo won't take any personal responsibility if you "hear secret messages" encoded in the music and decide to murder your entire family dressed as a D&D character. Consult with your lawyer on this one, but "Neighbor's Dog Told Me to Kill" would probably be a better defense.
DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM HERE:
http://www.fronttobackbacktofront.com/
http://www.gnarlsbarkley.com/
http://www.myspace.com/gnarlsbarkley
*Image by and courtesy of Gnarls Barkley/Downtown Records/Atlantic/Warner Bros.
A/V CLUB- G.I. OH NO! (Part 2)
Some very official-looking images of the costumes from next year's big screen G.I. Joe adaptation have surfaced online... and they're HILARIOUS!
STORM SHADOW & THE BARONESS
DUKE
SCARLETT
RIPCORD
GENERAL HAWK
COVERGIRL
Just when you thought the studio might've gotten the costumes right (I.E. Snake Eyes), they come out with this crap. The biggest problem is that they're so generic. Rather than looking like characters from G.I. Joe, they look more like something from a Sci-Fi Channel made-for-TV movie. Honestly speaking, I've seen homemade fan films with better, more convincing costuming.
While I wasn't expecting the 1980s "classic" looks for Duke, Scarlett, and the gang, I was expecting a little bit of effort in the updating of their costumes, just like what was done with the Transformers film... seriously, what the fuck are they wearing?
This is one of the final nails in the coffin of my interest in this film. After seeing these images and knowing that a hack director like Stephen Sommers is attached and that the majority of the roles are mis-cast, I've washed my hands of this project. I think I've seen all I need to know that it's not being made by people passionate about the characters or their rich history, but rather opportunists looking to cash in after the success of another toy-related film.
It's gonna take a lot to convince me otherwise.
*Images by and courtesy of Paramount Pictures/Di Bonaventura Pictures/Hasbro
STORM SHADOW & THE BARONESS
DUKE
SCARLETT
RIPCORD
GENERAL HAWK
COVERGIRL
Just when you thought the studio might've gotten the costumes right (I.E. Snake Eyes), they come out with this crap. The biggest problem is that they're so generic. Rather than looking like characters from G.I. Joe, they look more like something from a Sci-Fi Channel made-for-TV movie. Honestly speaking, I've seen homemade fan films with better, more convincing costuming.
While I wasn't expecting the 1980s "classic" looks for Duke, Scarlett, and the gang, I was expecting a little bit of effort in the updating of their costumes, just like what was done with the Transformers film... seriously, what the fuck are they wearing?
This is one of the final nails in the coffin of my interest in this film. After seeing these images and knowing that a hack director like Stephen Sommers is attached and that the majority of the roles are mis-cast, I've washed my hands of this project. I think I've seen all I need to know that it's not being made by people passionate about the characters or their rich history, but rather opportunists looking to cash in after the success of another toy-related film.
It's gonna take a lot to convince me otherwise.
*Images by and courtesy of Paramount Pictures/Di Bonaventura Pictures/Hasbro
Thursday, April 17, 2008
PLASTIQUE- The Spirit revealed... again.
Last week, photos leaked of Gabriel Macht in costume from Frank Miller's much-anticipated-- but hush-hush-- adaptation of the late Will Eisner's comic The Spirit, but were pulled before The Alchemist had a chance to save them...
It apparently was all for naught, as DC Direct released an image of their upcoming 1:6 sale Spirit :
I don't know why Miller changed the costume from blue to black, but I dig the look... are those black Converse All-Stars Mr. Colt is rocking?
The movie-- described on the official site as being "In the vein of Batman Begins and Sin City"-- stars Macht, Samuel L. Jackson (as the villainous Octopus), and the extremely beautiful trio of Scarlett Johansson, Jaime King, and Eva Mendes, and is slated to hit theatres in January 2009.
Expect more info about the top-secret project this weekend, straight from the New York Comic Con!
http://www.dccomics.com/dcdirect/
http://www.mycityscreams.com/
*Image by and courtesy of DC Direct
It apparently was all for naught, as DC Direct released an image of their upcoming 1:6 sale Spirit :
I don't know why Miller changed the costume from blue to black, but I dig the look... are those black Converse All-Stars Mr. Colt is rocking?
The movie-- described on the official site as being "In the vein of Batman Begins and Sin City"-- stars Macht, Samuel L. Jackson (as the villainous Octopus), and the extremely beautiful trio of Scarlett Johansson, Jaime King, and Eva Mendes, and is slated to hit theatres in January 2009.
Expect more info about the top-secret project this weekend, straight from the New York Comic Con!
http://www.dccomics.com/dcdirect/
http://www.mycityscreams.com/
*Image by and courtesy of DC Direct
A/V CLUB- How Hulk smash poster? It already flat! HULK ANGRY! HULK SMASH!
With all the hype surrounding next month's Iron Man, it almost seems like The Incredible Hulk has taken a backseat. Maybe Ang Lee's terrible adaptation is still leaving a bad taste in peoples' mouths, but I've gotta say that I've always had a soft spot for ol' Green Genes, going back to when I was a little kid and I had this giant rotocast PVC figure of him. Lotsa great memories.
ANYWAY, here's the theatrical poster for this summer's The Incredible Hulk:
And because I'm such a swell guy, here's an official trailer:
Apologies for the video quality. You can watch a hi-res version over at the film's site. When I tried to get it to post to Blogger, it didn't cooperate... oh, technology!
Looking forward to checking this one out in the theatre, and I *LOVE* the idea of Edward Norton playing Banner. He's one of the few leading actors out there who's believable as A) a brilliant but troubled scientist and B) someone so full of rage that he can turn into a walking weapon of mass destruction. It looks like they're going for an update of the 70s series rather than a sequel to Lee's disasterpiece, which is the right way to go. The less said about that one, the better...
http://incrediblehulk.marvel.com/
*Poster image and trailer courtesy Marvel Films and Universal
*Special thanks to Youtube.com for hosting the video and user lightscamerafilmuk for posting it
ANYWAY, here's the theatrical poster for this summer's The Incredible Hulk:
And because I'm such a swell guy, here's an official trailer:
Apologies for the video quality. You can watch a hi-res version over at the film's site. When I tried to get it to post to Blogger, it didn't cooperate... oh, technology!
Looking forward to checking this one out in the theatre, and I *LOVE* the idea of Edward Norton playing Banner. He's one of the few leading actors out there who's believable as A) a brilliant but troubled scientist and B) someone so full of rage that he can turn into a walking weapon of mass destruction. It looks like they're going for an update of the 70s series rather than a sequel to Lee's disasterpiece, which is the right way to go. The less said about that one, the better...
http://incrediblehulk.marvel.com/
*Poster image and trailer courtesy Marvel Films and Universal
*Special thanks to Youtube.com for hosting the video and user lightscamerafilmuk for posting it
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