MONTHLY CONTEST - WIN THEFLUFFY CUMSALOT, PORN STAR DVD

United Nathan Productions is pleased to announce our monthly contest. The rules are very simple: you send us an interesting link, news story, photo, movie, or whatever you think might peak our interest. We decide which entry is the best and the winning submission will receive a FREE DVD of Fluffy Cumsalot, Porn Star. This is the movie that Playboy Magazine called, "Hilarious!", so sharpen your creative noggins and get going.

[Please use your smarts. Do not send massive files. If we really must see it and it's a large file, email us and we can work something out. Legally speaking, you must be 19 to win.]

Email us here.

KUNG FU CLOWNS NOMINATED

Filmmaking rule number 839: Clowns don't make for good movies. Exception to the rule: Rocky Morton's Kung Fu Clowns commercial for BellSouth Real Yellow Pages, which has been nominated for a Director's Guild of America Award. "It takes great skill to tell a compelling story in under sixty seconds," said DGA President Michael Apted. "...directors have mastered the format, using their talent, craft and imagination to provide us with some of the most innovative filmmaking out there today."

SUNDANCE - THE SOUL OF THE MACHINE

The process of submitting a film to a film festival and waiting to hear back if it got into it can be a tedious and stressful thing. As filmmakers, we have had our share of rejection AND acceptance letters from festivals all around the world, however no one ever really gives much thought to the festival programming process. For example, The Sundance Film Festival, one of the world's largest and most prominent festivals, founded by Robert Redford in 1981 and named after The Sundance Kid, Redford's character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2006. This year the festival received 1,004 American and 936 international feature film entries, as well as 760 American and 448 international documentary submissions... not to mention the 4,311 short films sent in for consideration. Hard to imagine that amount of films all being sent to one place and being watched at least once. The clincher is that only 120 feature length films and 50 short films will be screened during the festival.

"One of the biggest distinctions that I make to my staff is that it's not simply about what you like, it's about what you should play. I think trying to be a professional programmer is not being subjective. A lot of people think that good programmers have a kind of narrow refined taste, some sort of peak of aesthetic comprehension. Whereas to me really good programmers are very receptive to a lot of different things." - Geoffrey Gilmore, Festival Director

Read more about the selection process here. [Fascinating]

SADDEST DAY OF THE YEAR

Well, it is official... [W + (D-d)] x TQM x NA is the formula that a British scientist has developed, which, when recently used, determined that yesterday, January 23, was the saddest day of the year. The formula uses six identifiable factors: weather, debt, time since Christmas, time since failing our New Year's resolution, low motivational levels and feeling a need to take action. I don't know about you, but we spent the day sleeping on the sofa getting up now and then to play the surfing yeti game.

CAR WEEK: BRIDGESTONE COMMERCIAL

A great way to end CAR WEEK is with one our favorite commercials. Get the kleenex ready because you'll need them when you watch this.

CAR WEEK: NEW CAR SMELL

We love the smell of a new car as much as the next guy, but it really isn't good for you. Read more.

CAR WEEK : GUMBALL 3000

The first place prize for the 1971 Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash - Los Angeles to New York race was a gumball dispenser. This race spurred movies such as The Cannonball Run with Burt Reynolds and the 1976 film, The Gumball Rally. Drawing inspiration from the real 1970's race and the aforementioned movies, Maximillion Cooper started the current rally version of the race in the summer of 1999. Gumball 3000 has been an incredible success and has since gained the reputation as road race for the modern era. Each year, jaw dropping footage is captured and turned into a dvd documenting the race. Check out the 2003 Gumball 3000 right here. [1 hour 37 minutes]

CAR WEEK: 32 HOURS 7 MINUTES

32 Hours 7 Minutes is the record time it took to drive from Los Angeles to New York on October 15, 1983 during the last running on the US Express (originally 'The Cannonball Run'). Die-hard adventurer Erwin G 'Cannonball' Baker, the greatest cross-country record breaker of them all, set 143 American distance records including a 53½ hour coast to coast solo drive averaging over 50 mph - in 1933! Inspired by the great man and in defiance of the then introduced 55 mph US speed limit, rebellious journalist Brock Yates launched the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash. Later the race became known as the US Express, but the Los Angeles to New York route remained intact. 20 years after the final race, the footage was put together to create the gripping documentary, 32 Hours 7 Minutes. Watch the trailer or visit the site.

CAR WEEK: HONDA'S NEW COMMERCIALS

As a car company, Honda has done pretty well. As far as commercials are concerned, Honda's are some of the best. Check out a few of their amazing commercials:

→ CHOIR - Inspiring audio made entirely by a 60 person choir.
→ COG - A truly amazing spot that must be seen. [more info]
→ THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM - An epic journey.
→ EVERYDAY OBJECTS Simple yet so effective.

CAR WEEK: THE TRUNK MONKEY

Originally created in January, 2000 by Sean Sosik-Hamor, the Trunk Monkey concept consists solely of a trained monkey and a steady source of ice cold high-quality import ale or lager. The Trunkmonkey lives in the trunk of any vehicle and helps to automate weight transfer at the rear wheels during spirited driving maneuvers. Redeveloped for The Suburban Auto Group, you can now control road rage with your vehicle's trunk monkey option. Check out the original Trunk Monkey here.

Also of note is The Trunk Monkey Theft Retrieval System. We want one regardless of the cost! Learn more about The Trunk Monkey here.

CAR WEEK: SMART CAR SMART PARKING?

This was spotted early yesterday morning near us. Smart Car, yes. Smart parking, no. Parking like this will put a new meaning to the term "door dings". That's the risk you take when you park like an ass.

CAR WEEK: PARKING LOT PROBLEMS

If you own a super car then I'm sure you have encountered this problem before - parking in Paris. Our friends at Top Gear were in Paris to test drive three cars - a Pagani Zonda F, a Ferrari F430 Spider and a Ford GT. The real test came when they had to get the high end sport cars out of the parking structure.

CAR WEEK: THE MODERN PARKING LOT?

While in Los Angeles we spotted the modern parking lot. As if using your eyes to find a free spot wasn't simple enough, this automated display tells you how many parking spots are available on each level. The problem at this parking lot on this particular evening was that it was so busy that it couldn't keep up. The moral: if you really need to rely on a bright display to direct you to available spots, maybe you should be using the vallet parking.

CAR WEEK: THE MODERN PARKING LOT?

Not really parking lot, but more of a car vending machine. Autostadt in Wolfsburg is essentially Volkswagen's theme park for cars enthusiasts. The town is Germany's version of Detroit, except clean and a tourist attraction. Among the incredible museums and interactive displays, there is the futuristic car delivery service. Basically, you order your new car online or at a dealership and then go to Autostadt to pick it up. Once there, the system is completely automated as an elevator ascends to one of the 20 stories in search of your new car. It is brought down from one of the Car Towers, you're handed the keys, your picture is taken, the glass doors open and your brand new car appears. What an experience! [Also of note is Volkswagen's Glass Factory.]

CAR WEEK: TOP GEAR - BUGATTI VEYRON

Simply put, the Bugatti Veyron is the world's fastest, most powerful and most expensive car. For $1.25 million US, you can purchase the car's 1000 horsepower and use them to rocket yourself to the car's top speed of 252 mph... although you'll use a tank of gas every 12 minutes at that speed!

→ Read what Jeremy Clarkson had to say about the car.
→ Watch The Top Gear Bugatti Challenge: Italy to London

[note: pause the video to let it download a bit first - this will help smooth playback.]

CAR WEEK: TOP GEAR - FUN WITH CARS

In our continuing CAR WEEK SERIES we find ourselves continually going back to those guys at Top Gear for entertainment. Enough said. Check these out...

→ How to beat a radar speed camera.
→ Car versus 747 jet engine backwash.
→ Top Gear soccer.
→ Car Darts.

CAR WEEK: TOP GEAR - CHALLENGES

The more we watch BBC series Top Gear, the more we like it. An interesting element to the show are the 'challenges' that take place. Usually they are along the lines of car versus man or car versus other modes of transportation. Here are some rather captivating challenges from the show...


→ London to Monte Carlo: Aston Martin DB9 vs. 200 mph train.
→ Part 1 - Part 2
→ 800 miles on one tank of gas in an Audi A8 diesel twin turbo.
→ Part 1 - Part 2
→ London to Oslo: McLaren SLR Supercar vs. powerboat.
→ Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4
→ London to Verbie, Switzerland: Ferrari 612 vs. 500 mph plane.
→ Part 1 - Part 2
→ Video game vs. Reality - Jeremy vs. Gran Turismo.
→ Evo Ralley vs. Norweigen Olympic Bobsled Team.
→ Lotus Exige vs. an Apache Attack Helicopter.
→ Nurbrgring Race Track Challenge... in a van.
→ Range Rover Sport vs. British Army tank - Missile Lock Test.
→ Italy to London: Bugatti Veyron vs. Cesna.

How are some of these challenges possible? You should know that much of the exterior footage of the car driving is actually shot on the way back from the challenges with The Stig driving. The footage inside the cars are shot during the race with a static camera mounted inside the vehicle. Top Gear assures us that everything is real and the outcomes are legit.

CAR WEEK: TOP GEAR - NSX versus GRAN TURISMO

This is the first in a short series of posts relating to cars. Boring? Not at all. For the most part, the posts will be exciting, entertaining and possibly even intriguing. So here goes, the first posting for car week...

The long running BBC series Top Gear, is the most engaging car show we have ever seen. It combines captivating hosts with compelling show concepts that grab the viewers attention throughout. The show was seen briefly in North America on The Discovery Channel, but word on the street is that a US version is in the works. Hopefully it won't suck because part of the allure of the original UK show is the sharp wit of host Jeremy Clarson. The other factors that play into the show's success are the great concepts, beautiful cars and stunning camera work.

A Top Gear episode that we want to point out is the one in which Jeremy Carkson felt that since he mastered driving a virtual NSX around a virtual race track in the video game Gran Turismo 4, that he could drive a real car around a real race track - Laguna Seca - at least as fast as his did in the video game. So Clarkson flew to California where a NSX and an empty race track awaited him for the 'video game versus reality race' episode. Watch it here.

THE YEAR IN PICTURES 2005

MSNBC presents The 2005 Year in Pictures. Watch it as a slideshow complete with audio. Initially you will view The Editor's Choice and then The Reader's Choice. Powerful imagery.

PANORAMAS - BEST OF 2005

Originally this post was going to be about Thomas Mottl's unique quicktime vr water bottle, but with it developed into something a bit bigger. The world of vr (virtual reality) panoramas has taken scenic photography to a new level. Essentially, this technology allows the user to navigate a 360 degree photograph almost as if he one was there in person. Given the right locale and proper execution, the results can be stunning.

Take a look at the Worldwide Panoramas Best of 2005 or if you missed New Year's Eve and want to experience it from 18 different places around the world, check out Panoramas.dk site. Panoramas.dk was created by Denmark's Hans Nyberg, an amazing vr photographer in his own right. Check out Hans' vr photography of the Royal Wedding in Denmark. Enjoy and don't forget to look all around...and up!

CITIZEN KANE MOVIE TRAILER - 1941

Apple's Quicktime website has always been an incredible resource when it comes to viewing movie trailers online. However, we recently came across Movie-List, another resource that offers not only the newest trailers, but a great deal of classic trailers as well. Check out this unique trailer for the amazing Orson Wells film, Citizen Kane. What a great way to present the film to potential audiences back in 1941. Enjoy!

TEMPBOT - A NEILL BLOMKAMP FILM

Tempbot was filmed in 2004 so it predates Alive in Joburg. It has the same theme as Tetra Vaal with regards to a robotic workforce, however Neill Blomkamp's Tempbot has emotions... although this robot can use some serious councelling.

[via Transbuddha.com.] 15 minutes long.

ALIVE IN JOBURG

Alive in Joburg is Neill Blomkamp's follow-up short film to his truly amazing spec spot, Tetra Vaal. Alive in Joburg is also heavy on CGI, but it is an unsettling and eerie story of an alien invasion in Johannesburg, South Africa. Filmed documentary style, there is a mix of interviews and 'reality/news-style' footage which makes it seem very believable, especially as the underlying theme appears to allude to the effects of apartheid and the current political/ social issues that now exist in South Africa. Nicely done Neill!

TETRA VAAL: BETTER POLICING THROUGH ROBOTICS

Tetra Vaal isn't a new piece, but it is continues to raise the hairs on our necks. Why? It is so well made that you will find it hard to believe that it isn't real. Directed by Neill Blomkamp for The Embassy Visual Effects, it was made as a spec spot for a fictious robotics company. Better Policing Through Robotics. Catchy tag line. The spot was shot in Blomkamp's native South Africa and does an effective job at illustrating the rise of violence and need for an effective means to defuse the current situation.

Shortly after the release of Tetra Vaal, Blomkamp was awarded a number of high end contracts which produced award winning spots, including, Citroen's Alive With Technology, Nike's Evolution and Nike's Crab.

UNCOVERING THE EASTER EGG

Sometimes a DVD contains contains hidden features or "Easter Eggs" that are not brought to our attention. These features could be something as simple as a trailer to another movie or as interesting as behind the scenes footage. You can explore your movie collection with ease by going to dvdeastereggs.com or dvdtown.com for hints on exactly how to access these hidden features.

[note: an Easter Egg feature is usually in addition to any other special features, but more likey than not, something a little wacky or interesting.]

ROBOTIC EVOLUTION

Another project by 1st Avenue Machine,this is called machine propaganda. [via kevinbroome.com]

ORGANIC EVOLUTION

Created by 1st Avenue Machine, a CGI/ VFX/ Animation company, this music video is unique as it takes organic plant life and evolves it to another level. It's truly amazing.
[via kevinbroome.com]

COLD AS ICE

First there was Sweden's Ice Hotel and then Quebec's Hotel de Glace, but now the ice establishment has left its rural setting and moved to the heart of downtown Toronto with the creation of the Ice Lounge. With ice walls, ice chairs, ice tables, ice glasses and a constant -5 degrees celcius, guests wear trendy parkas and cozy gloves provided by Roots while they sip on their icy cold martini's in Toronto's newest night spot. All this and vallet parking. Very cool!