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Poll: Watching Life on Discovery tonight?
We all saw, and loved Planet Earth in its various forms, and now it's time for Life to air on pretty much every Discovery network at 8 p.m. (though interestingly, not HD Theater, which is fine -- we wouldn't want to miss our WRC highlights anyway.) We got an early preview of the first of two episodes that will be airing tonight and it was fantastic. It'll be hard to convince hardcore Attenborough fans to accept any substitute in narration but Oprah does a good job, and there's no doubt that the bar has been raised in the genre of watching animals do incredible things in super slow-mo HD. What was supposed to be just a few minutes preview turned into watching the entire thing, and rewinding just to watch that chameleon part once more turned into a complete second viewing. So, will you be tuning in? %Poll-43230%
Discovery's next epic series Life airs March 21 on seven networks, June 1 on Blu-ray
We've been waiting for the next Planet Earth for quite some time, and the latest contender to the throne is Life. An 11-part series devoted to exploring "the adaptability and diversity of life on Earth" each episode focuses on a different form of life, and of course, does it all in HD. The first two hours will air on Discovery Channel HD; TLC HD; Animal Planet HD; Science Channel HD; Investigation Discovery HD; and Planet Green HD, March 21 at 8 p.m., with two hour installments following each Sunday at 8 only on Discovery Channel HD. Check the video previews embedded after the break for more info on all the new camera technology used to make this series even more beautiful to look at than the last -- but hide your credit card first, the Blu-ray release June 1 is already available for preorders and imagining all that super slow-mo footage in 1080p is definitely too tantalizing for the weak-willed among us.
'Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission' premiering at SXSW Film Festival
Richard Garriott spent years as the ruler of a fictional kingdom before he became a second-generation astronaut. Sounds like the kind of guy you'd want to make a movie about! That's exactly what filmmaker Mike Woolf and his production company, Beef & Pie, has done, and it sounds like it's going to be a treat not only for old-school PC game-types who remember "Lord British," but also anyone interested in the process of going into space. Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission, a film about the preparation and execution of Garriott's 2008 trip to the International Space Station, will premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, with showings on Sunday, March 14 and Thursday, March 18. The film includes "never-before-seen training footage in Star City, Russia's secretive cosmonaut training facility," as well as footage of the launch and video taken from space by Garriott. Check out a trailer after the break.
Garriott's Mission trailer offers a sneak peek before SXSW
You may love him, or you may hate him; but nobody can deny the influence Lord British has had on the MMO industry. Many feel that Ultima Online was a shining example of MMO mechanics, not since repeated in quite the right combination. Later, Richard Garriott went on to create Tabula Rasa for NCsoft -- a game beloved by some, reviled by others. As part of his own trip to space, he launched Operation Immortality, in an attempt to draw more interest to Tabula Rasa. He went up in space, he came back down, NCsoft released him. We all know the story by now. But what you may not know is that Garriott had a crew filming the entire time he was involved with the space program. They've compiled the footage into a documentary called Man on a Mission, which is slated to be released later this year at South by Southwest. However, for those who would like a little taste what life was like for Garriott during those hectic days juggling public appearances and training in Russia, you can check out the trailer on his Facebook page now. [via GameSetWatch]
Macworld 2010: The faces behind Welcome to Macintosh
The producer/director team of Mac history documentary Welcome to Macintosh came by the TUAW booth to chat a bit yesterday; Josh Rizzo and Rob Baca shared their experience as the film has taken off, the work they're currently doing to update it and add new interviews, and their expectations for the next project down the pike. Thanks to Rob & Josh for taking the time to visit!
Asimo stars in Living With Robots, promises not to forget the 'little people' (video)
When we saw Asimo do his Fred Astaire act a while back we knew he had star quality -- and now it looks like the feisty robot is finally getting his big break. Living With Robots, which just premiered at Sundance Film Festival, was directed by Joe Berlinger (who directed Metallica's Some Kind of Monster) and tells the story of a humanoid robot that gets stranded at home while his family flies overseas for Christmas. Instead of calling the police, he stays home -- alone -- and bravely fights off Joe Pesci and some other guy whose name we can't remember. [Editor's note: This is patently untrue. Actually, the film promises to investigate "humankind's keen interest in robots and how robots can challenge the impossible by saving lives while also holding the promise to become more integrated and helpful in daily life." So there.] Interested? We bet you are! Check out the PR, and the eight minute commercial short film, after the break.
Reminder: Welcome to Macintosh airs tonight on CNBC, more docs to follow
As we mentioned a few days ago, CNBC will air Welcome to Macintosh tonight at 9:30Pm Eastern/6:30 Pacific time. Welcome to Macintosh is an indie documentary that provides an intimate look at Apple's history. It's been shown at different times and places over the past year, and you can also buy it from iTunes [link], but now you can watch the documentary for free. Then tomorrow night, Tuesday January 5 at 10PM, CNBC will be airing another Mac documentary, MacHEADS, a film that explores the fanaticism and loyalty of Apple users. Finally, don't forget to set your DVRs for CNBC's third Mac feature, Planet of the Apps, airing on January 7th at 10PM ET/PT, the only CNBC original of the three where they take a look into the "app-economy." Is it just me, or does January 2010 seem to be Apple's month?
The King of Kong DVD signed and delivered, the cheap and easy way [update]
Update: Sorry, gang. Looks like they ran out of supplies. The offer's no longer available. How would you like to own a copy of the critically-acclaimed documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters signed by the film's underdog protagonist Steve Wiebe? Well, you can have it -- in fact, the act of acquiring such a rare gem is actually pretty easy. All you have to do is pay $9.95 (that includes shipping!) andorderstevewiebe'schristianmusicalbum. What? Yes, fine -- if you buy Steve Wiebe's Christian music album, cleverly titled "The King of Song," you get a signed copy of the similarly-titled film. We can't speak for the quality of any music that's not hardcore funk, but in terms of raw value, a signed copy of a great film and any CD for just $9.95 is a pretty spectacular deal. The offer's only available until January 1, so you'll need to act quickly, should you decide to act at all.
Fan-created documentary about BlizzCon: An event for fans
Reader Encifer sent us a link to this excellent fan-directed documentary short about BlizzCon. Just a few days ago, I kind of panned the LA Times for treating BlizzCon as such an alien thing, but this video kind of takes a different look at the same event -- instead of coming at it from an outsider perspective and treating it as if it's something 20,000 crazy people do over a weekend, it's much more about how exciting it is to be a part of an event this big. I don't know, maybe the difference is just something I see, but this fan documentary, I think, does a really great job of showing just why BlizzCon is so great, while the LA Times piece, in my view, kind of dismissed its subjects even as it was portraying them.At any rate, Chris Nguyen did a terrific job on this -- he says that he created the short film to prepare for a few doc film classes he's going to be taking, as well as challenge his doc-making skills, and it seems like he did just that. He interviewed two of his former guildies, as well as the winner of this year's costume contest, as you can see in the video. And he says the whole thing was shot over the two days at BlizzCon and then took about eight more days to edit. Definitely a fun little film to watch, and if you've never been to BlizzCon before, it'll give you a nice look at just what it's like to show up in a hall with thousands of people who play the same games that you do every day.
Watch gaming doc 'Second Skin' now, free
We've teased you with Second Skin before, but now you can watch the whole thing online for free. Word of warning: If you're a World of Warcraft player, or belong to any other obsessive MMO, the film doesn't paint a very flattering picture. But having said that, it does treat the subject matter with some respect by showing all facets: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Juan Carlos Piñeiro Escoriaza and Victor Piñeiro have put together a surprisingly good documentary that pulls back the cover on the other side of the screen. Until now, you couldn't see this work outside the film festival circuit, but thanks to Hulu, you can watch the entire movie after the break. Grab your popcorn and head on in!Additionally, Second Skin will be released on DVD on August 25.[Via Film School Rejects]
MMO documentary "Second Skin" debuts in theaters today
It's not often that we talk about movies here on Massively, but the new(ish) documentary entitled Second Skin is definitely right up our alley. Today marks the debut of Second Skin in select theaters across the United States, as well as a free showing of the film at various websites.Is the movie worth seeing if you're heavily into MMOs? Well, we try not to do reviews here (MMO reviews at least), but I would say it's definitely worth checking out if you enjoy MMOs even a tiny bit. The film showcases the lives of several MMO gamers (mostly WoW and EverQuest) to show how these games have affected their lives. There's a fairly good balance of good and bad, showing everything from the marriage of people who met in these games to a tragic suicide that was blamed on an MMO. Check it out all this week online at Fancast or SnagFilms, or at participating theaters across America.
I Got Next gives inside look at fighting game tourney scene
If the world of professional Street Fighter-ing is a nebulous mystery to you, it may be time to get a clue from an excellent piece of research material -- indie graphic designer/filmmaker Ian Cofino's recently completed documentary, I Got Next. The feature-length film went live on UFragTV last night, and is expected to be widely released via torrent in the near future. For a bite-sized sampling, check out the trailer above.For a still-harangued-by-student-loans amateur filmmaker, it's a really nice production -- one that gives us insight into the minds of a quarter-circle-punch obsessed populous we've never really bothered to study. Oh, also, it contains the music of The Go! Team, which is scientifically proven to make anything it touches a million times better.
"EverCracked! The Phenomenon of EverQuest" to debut at SOE Fan Faire
We don't doubt that many of our readers first got their feet wet in the world of MMOs with EverQuest, a game that gave rise to addictions so severe that it was often referred to as "EverCrack" by its loyal fans. It's these folks (this blogger amongst them) that will likely get the most enjoyment out of a new documentary called EverCracked! The Phenomenom of EverQuest that is set to debut at SOE Fan Faire 2009 later this month.The documentary is hosted by Jason "Jace" Hall (of the Jace Hall Show) and features interviews not only with some of the main brains behind the game, but also with another very important group of people -- the players. We aren't sure yet when those who aren't visiting Fan Faire will be able to see it, but for now, check after the break for a preview trailer.
2 Player Productions' inside look at Sucker Punch raises dev diary bar
Here's a fun, recently discovered fact -- people who make video games are ... people! We know, we know. Stop the presses! This fact came to our attention in the form of 2 Player Productions' recent three-part developer diary for inFamous -- though, really, inFamous isn't the centerpiece of their work. It's about the minds behind the game: The charismatic, hard-working folks from Sucker Punch Productions. It's a great piece of work -- the diary and the game are, that is -- and we've posted it after the break for your perusal and enjoyment. So ... peruse! Enjoy!
BBC reveals stunning sample footage shot with TyphoonHD4 camera
The BBC has already proven itself to be quite the source for some impressive HD images, but the network's Natural History Unit looks to have really outdone themselves for their forthcoming South Pacific documentary, which makes use of a modified, $100,000 TyphoonHD4 camera. Of course, those exact modifications appear to be a closely-kept secret, but it has apparently been outfitted with a special underwater housing designed by German high-speed camera expert Rudi Diesel, and the camera itself is able to shoot in high definition at 20 times the speed of a normal HD camera, which results in some pretty amazing super slow motion footage. You can get a taste of that after the break but, trust us, you'll want to head up the read link below to really get a sense of what this thing is capable of.[Via SlashGear]
Kilauea: Mountain of Fire gives an HD look at the volcano tonight on PBS
Sure, if you want a great look at nature in HD, Discovery HD Theater has a marathon of Planet Earth going on right now (no seriously, if you haven't seen it, forget the NCAA tournament, Tiger on the links and LeBron's 60 Minutes half court shot, click over right now and watch) but brand new this evening Nature on PBS has an all new look at active volcanoes with Kilauea: Mountain of Fire. The first of this site filmed specifically for high definition broadcasts, Hawaii Magazine certainly seemed impressed by peeks into the vent from the air, underwater lava flows and hikes into the world's largest and deepest lava tube (whatever that may be) promise to give an all new appreciation of natures power for anyone not already peeping Ian McShane on Kings.
CNBC HD is actually HD for the first time tonight
Looking for something watch once the President Obama press conference is over? If CNBC HD+ is in the channel lineup, click over to check out the channel's first true high definition production Cruise Inc: Big Money On The High Seas at 9 p.m. It's the first of several documentaries apparently planned in HD, and not a moment too soon. Taking advantage of the addition space HDTVs can provide (as pictured above) has been nice, but it's good to know we didn't have to go all Jon Stewart on them to get some real HD.[Via Media Bistro]
The Old Republic to give players their own 'personal Star Wars saga'
The second installment in Bioware's series of video documentaries for its upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, reveals how the developer is planning on viciously and irrevocably hooking subscribers. Instead of tapping into whatever mystical, stat-driven formula World of Warcraft has divined, Bioware is focusing on getting players to become invested in the overarching stories of their characters, hoping that players will create "their own personal Star Wars saga."The documentary gives a brief example of how this will work -- each class will apparently have their own hundreds-of-hours-long storyline to pursue, aided by cinematic pseudo-cutscenes and major, story-altering decisions the player will be forced to make. Check out the video after the break!
Beyond the Game examines the lives of Warcraft III players
This isn't about World of Warcraft, but it will be familiar to some of you who spent hours building up bases and creating Spirit Towers. Beyond the Game is a new documentary from the Netherlands about two world-famous Warcraft III players and how the game has affected their lives and the people around them. It looks intriguing -- having been to a few gaming tournaments and interviewed a few of the top players myself, I agree that these guys are living some really strange lives. Even if you're not a Warcraft III player, this kind of esports is getting more and more popular around the world (from the old Counterstrike to WoW's Arenas, of course), and even though it hasn't quite hit the mainstream yet, more and more players are finding this kind of existence.The film is set to be released in parts of the EU mid-March, and is being shown at a few gaming tournaments in various places around the world. There's no word on a US or DVD release yet, but we'll keep an eye out for it.
Video interviews present the life and times of Richard Garriott
The online broadcast network VBS is showing a three-part video series on the life and times of (computer) RPG pioneer Richard Garriott. The footage explores his first steps into the world of video game design, explaining how the moniker "Lord British" became synonymous with Garriott. The videos also give a look into what someone can do once they can afford any toy their heart desires, and chronicles a bit of the latest direction Garriott is taking his life -- into space. The short series is a revealing peek into the life of a significant figure in the games industry. We've got the video embeds for you below the cut, but for more background you might want to check out the accompanying info over at VBS.TV.
