The Nightmare Before Christmas' " This Is Halloween " sung by everyone's favorite turrets and murderous AI in "
This Is Aperture "
posted by The Whelk
on Jan 28, 2012 -
13 comments
"
Welcome to the Zion Archive. You have selected Historical File #12-1: The Second Renaissance."
So begins the short film of the same name by Mahiro Maeda
[Flash: 1 2 - QuickTime: 1 2] -- a devastating yet beautiful work of animation.
Originally produced to explain the backstory behind the
Matrix trilogy, Maeda's project ended up telling a story far darker and more affecting than any blockbuster.
Using a blend of
faux documentary footage and
visual metaphor, his serene Instructor relates in biblical tones the saga of Man and Machine, how age-old cruelty and hatred birthed a horrifying, apocalyptic struggle that consumed the world.
Packed with striking imagery and
historical allusions galore, this dark allegory easily transcends the films it was made for.
But while "The Second Renaissance" is arguably the best work to come from the
Matrix franchise, it's hardly alone -- it's just one of the projects made for
The Animatrix, a collection of
nine superb anime films in a
wide variety of styles designed to explore the universe and broaden its scope beyond the usual sci-fi action of the movies.
Click inside for a guide to these films with links to where they can be watched online, along with a look at
The Matrix Comics, a free series of comics, art, and short fiction created for the same purpose by
some of the best talent in the business.
[more inside]
posted by Rhaomi
on Feb 14, 2011 -
54 comments
(Spoilers in most links). So an SNL digital short,
Dear Sister spoofs the second season
finale of the OC. Now the internets just don't know when to stop, with parodies (of the parody) playing on everything from the obvious like
The Departed,
LOST,
Snatch,
The Matrix,
Reservoir Dogs, and
Predator to the not-so-obvious like
Lord of the Rings,
Raging Bull,
Monty Python,
Duck Hunt (my favorite),
Looney Toons,
LazyTown,
Smash Brothers,
Office Space, and
Bio-Ooze Super Soakers.
posted by ztdavis
on Apr 28, 2007 -
65 comments
Re Your Brains is the music video to a great song (a memo between two businessmen, detailing the fact that one of them is now a zombie and intends to eat the other one's brains) by
the much mefi'd Jonathan Coulton; apparently inspired by his "
Flickr: the Video", fans are making DIY videos for several of his songs over at the
JoCoPro (Jonathan Coulton Project). Two of my favorite non-zombie related ones are
The Presidents, a mnemonic for memorizing every U.S. President in order & at least one fact about each, and
Code Monkey, detailing the warm secret heart of a Frito loving coder.
posted by jonson
on Sep 11, 2006 -
17 comments
Look Around You is an insanely funny BBC parody of 1970's educational programs filled with pure nonsensical lies clothed as facts & pitch perfect mimicry of the style of governmental approved childrens education television. Each of the entire first season's worth of 8 10-minute episodes
can be viewed here and is highly recommended.
posted by jonson
on Aug 30, 2006 -
66 comments
