There have been many skits, spoofs and memes done about Mario but never have I ever seen an Opera done in it's name.... until now. Somewhere in Opera Heaven Pavarotti is smiling I'm sure!
Metlife Cartoon Superbowl Advert
Don't know who Metlife are but man they make a mean commercial... a lot of the old classics are here. Can you identify them all?
Twin Peaks Coming Back in 2016!
I am pleased to announce that Twin Peaks will return in 2016. The announcement was made by Showtime over the weekend, following hints in tweets sent by David Lynch and Mark Frost, the creators of the show. I for one am excited as this series is my favourite television series of all time (after 'Mysterious Cities of Gold' that is)
To quote Showtime:
The groundbreaking television phenomenon, Golden Globe® and Peabody Award-winner TWIN PEAKS will return as a new limited series on SHOWTIME in 2016. Series creators and executive producers David Lynch and Mark Frost will write and produce all nine episodes of the limited series, and Lynch will direct every episode. Set in the present day, TWIN PEAKS will continue the lore of the original series, providing long-awaited answers and a satisfying conclusion for the series’ passionate fan base.
For viewers hoping to reminisce or for those discovering the series for the first time, SHOWTIME will re-air the first two seasons of TWIN PEAKS, in advance of the new episodes going on air in 2016.
Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential broadcast series of all time, TWIN PEAKS followed the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town who were stunned after their homecoming queen Laura Palmer is shockingly murdered. The town's sheriff welcomed the help of FBI agent Dale Cooper, who came to town to investigate the case. As Cooper conducted his search for Laura's killer, the town's secrets were gradually exposed. The mystery that ensued set off an eerie chain of events that plunged the inhabitants of Twin Peaks into a darker examination of their very existence. Twenty-five years later, the story continues...
Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 2 Review
The original Mysterious Cities of Gold series was a French- Japanese co-produced animation by Dic Entertainment and Studio Pierrot. The series premiered in Japan on NHK on 29 June 1982 and ran weekly for 39 episodes.
I first caught the series on BBC 1 in the early 80s and was beguiled by the mythical adventure story of a young Spanish boy named Esteban who joins a voyage to the New World in search of the lost Cities of Gold and his father. The impressive looking background art, sharply drawn characters, and the beautiful soundtrack kept me entranced throughout the whole series, becoming my favourite programme of all time. It informed my formative years and introduced me to the wonders of the ancient world including the Incas, Aztecs, Atlantis and El Dorado. Even at the age of 33 I still regularly revisit the programme every year and I can attest to the fact that it still holds up as an impressive piece of work.
There has been talk of a second series for years and preliminary plans were laid however it never materialised. However with the re-release of the series on DVD in 2008 and increased interest in the new series were finally put into production. Debuting on the Kix Channel in December the second series finally landed. So how does it fare compared to the original?
At the end of the original series the children had only found one of the seven lost cities of gold, yet the conclusion was oddly satisfying in an open-ended way. Well the second series is a continuation rather than a reboot, so with the same character designs and story the series picks from the end of series one; The three children and Mendoza, Pedro and Sancho heading to China in search of the next lost city of gold and the truth about Esteban’s father.
On the whole I really did enjoy the new series but felt that it lacked the atmosphere and awe that was present in the original series. The voice actors were passable, however I did feel that Mendoza sounded angry or annoyed a lot of the time, a shift from his can-do attitude from the first series. Also the synth music from the discovery parts and key events made each new discovery super special. The music that dropped when the adventurers find the Solaris and Golden Condor still sends shivers down my spine. I felt that in this new series moments of emotive music and silence from the characters would have carried greater gravitas than the exposition from the characters.
China is well represented in the series with beautiful background artwork.
The team still go on awe inspiring adventures which draw you in.
The series does take a little while to get going, the first 10 or so episodes are very slow paced but the series does pick up and from episode 16 onwards I had those moment of awe and wonder, much like I felt nearly 25 years ago when I first saw the first series.
I'll leave you with one of my favourite youtube videos, this is St. Elmos Fire, the piece of music by Haim Saban and Shuki Levi. This music swells in the series when there are moments of discovery... the new series was missing these moments but does stand well as a continuation. Roll on series 3!
Futurecop! N.A.S.A. Set to Classic 80's movies.
There is a warm and fuzzy feeling that emanates from my heart that feels like unconditional love when I watch films from my childhood, it reminds me of the long summers hanging with my friends, playing amazing computer games and watching the phenomenal films. Hugothejuego has created a mashup of classic 80s films with the sounds of Futurecops! N.A.S.A, a wonderful slice of synth nostalgia. You have to see this video, it will leave a smile on your face and that warm feeling in your heart.
R-type: the Making of a Computer Game
The ZX Spectrum is an iconic machine, it hung around for over 10 years and over 9000 games were made for it. R-Type is a legendary game on the machine because it was such a remarkable achievement on 48k! To someone unfamiliar with the Spectrum it won't look like much, but you have to remember that the Spectrum had no hardware-sprites, no hardware scrolling, only fifteen colours and only allowed two colours per 8x8 pixel square.
That classic cover, the first level boss is iconic!
The smooth scrolling and colour were amazing for their time!
Bob Pape, the programmer of the amazing R-Type conversion on the ZX Spectrum has written a free e-book about the game making process. The book is self-published and available to download online. I haven't read it all the way through yet but what I have read is very interesting. The retro UK shooter fans will know how legendary this conversion was back in the day, I being an Amstrad man had that version but retrospectively played the Spectrum version and man is it good. So read the book people!
