Monday, August 31, 2015

VRLA Summer Expo, So Early In The Game


The highlight of the expo was seeing Pen Ward, creator of Adventure Time trying out VR Arcade's latest 3D drawing game in a sensor forest. "I entered into VR Cade, by VR Studios...it's just a free, open space, virtual reality experience where you can move around au naturel, " Pen told me after he stepped out of drawing a monster and casting a fire spell. Really watching anyone with any VR device on them, cutting of their senses from world, gets some getting used to.
Pen Ward in VR

Lasers jutted out above me head, the room was dark like an old style arcade. You couldn't tell if it was day or night. At the beginning the expo seemed like a new type of arcade experience with many people debating around me if a VR arcade would be built in the next few years. The arcade setting become more of a demo reel of what can be than what there actually is.

VRLA Summer Expo, like the technology it's showing is so new it's a developer and fiancee market. There's little to nothing finished, everything was a demo or a starting point. It was all a big demonstration leaving us with more questions of when a real video game will come out or what will the technology be used for.

Google gave away free vr viewers. Google Cardboard is a simple piece of cardboard with some magnetic mesh, plastic magnifying plastic and a rubber band. By placing one's smartphone in in they have a VR viewer. This simple device caught the attention of many who waiting in line to grab one.

Something so simple, works simply well. I enjoyed watching the Kaiju Fury VR Trailer and sharing the device at a meeting for an upcoming LA film festival I'm a part of. Everyone was impressed by Japanese monsters fighting from the streets of a city falling apart.







Bored at Google Cardboard
At the booth itself there was little fanfare other than the devices being handed out. A woman tired or bored from the expo slept in Google Cardboard's lounge area, this was on a Saturday, not that late in the evening, it might have been 2pm? How strange I thought, who comes to sold out expo to sleep?

Google Cardboard is available online and at a few major retailers like Urban Outfitters. It should be no more than $10-$15 or even less as I've told you the components of it hardly cost anything. Google doesn't directly sell it's own cardboard device.

I wished there was more demos that took advantage of the technology and showed off something as fun at the Expo. I didn't even try the Kaiju demo until at my home.

At VRLA I saw games like Vertical Slice and World War Toons, neither of which is really worthy of writing about, maybe as their still in development. World War Toons has no excuse though after being at E3 this year and with a launch expected for next year.

Matt Thompson with Two Bit Circus was showing me a Indy car demo. Soon I was racing through the streets of a undisclosed city, the wind blowing in my face thanks to their rig. The seat I was in moved in relation to my speed. Matt told me they had been showing the same rig at the Indy 500 for two years. They had switched to the easier to use Samsung Gear VR instead of the Oculus Developer Kit, though Samsung VR is still powered by Oculus. Many of the other developers had switch to that rig too.

Yet all the time I was there most people avoided the Samsung VR booth. Many of it's titles sounded lackluster and after playing many at E3 I can understand why most people avoided it.

Rebecca Barkin, was showing me "The Ring" a one-handed ring controller to be used for games and drones from the company Nod. It was just a concept as the second generation "The Backspin," a bigger and gaudier looking device was what they were now showcasing. "It has squeeze detection, sub-millimeters accuracy, it's one of the lowest latency controller out there, " Rebecca told me. They weren't selling them,  they were there  to show them off and look for more financing.

Nod was like many of the developers and startups, so early in their work that it's hard to see what they will become or what they'll have to offer in the years to come. It's so early that really everything we see is speculation or an unfinished idea.











Mutated Game Form Photos




Johnnie JungleGuts dressed as Wonder Woman performed very hard to understand digitized 8-bit songs. In the corner Edo Stern's piece bickered between itself in a flame war. It looked like a game glitched as game texture wrapped around two faces. At my feet lay Sky Burchard's work, ancient artifacts of a long dead gaming trade show; dry bone skulls left by Mario to forever bask in the sun and dirt until once again revived by Bowser. 

Mutated Game Form is a small show filled with some strange ideas and concepts on the medium of video games. If it was an easier to access area I would suggest dropping by, as it's within a campus as school has just started I have to resend any notion of it being an easy trip.

See some of the oddities from the show here.









Mutated Game Form
Nan Rae Gallery
Woodbury University
7500 N. Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91504 – 7846

Exhibition runs until Sept 27, 2015

Friday, August 28, 2015

Jumpcut Cafe Closing

The celebrated indie film haunt is closing this Sunday. The Jumpcut Cafe has been a much loved hangout for film making folk that served the community for movie and trivia nights. Now it's closing its doors this Sunday forever. The restaurant side of the business isn't pulling in enough people, perhaps it should go down the downtown independent's route and just do movies.

Read the touching good-bye post from the owners, The Kanes, here


Jumpcut Cafe
13203 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604

TTDILA COMICS #59 - Five Dollar Footlongs


by ARG 


click comic to expand.

With all this talk of subway and it's delicious sandwiches 
I can't help to crave a fresh sandwich.

Enjoy.

Jewish Community Day at Dodger Stadium: August 30

If you're Jewish and love the Dodgers or a last want to complain about them you should head to the Sunday game. You'll have a voucher for a Dodger T- Shirt in Hebrew and enjoy the Jewish Community Day, Aug 30. Oh, free headphones to put over your yamaka.  More details

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Where's Halloween TTDILA? Sleepover at the Museum

Halloween news will be coming soon, we're just waiting until September. Knott's and Universal are cray cray this year yet again starting their haunts that early.

What's already got our attention and we can't stop thinking about?!!!

Sleepover at the Museum
October 31 - November 1, 2015, 8pm
Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90007
$135
21+

Unlike Robin Willams...let's steer clear of that joke. On Halloween night you can spend the night in the Natural History Museum. You'll learn about taxidermy, go on a scavenger hunt and eat well with a buffet. Craft beer and wine included. There's a promise of a natural history-themed movie?

In the morning enjoy the new Mummy exhibit and hope they don't get you at night! Breakfast buffet if you survive.

It's pricey, however you are going to live out a childhood fantasy of sleeping in a museum like so many movies and tv shows have put into your head.

The Broad Begins Sept 20

Billy, that fancy shamncy new museum opens up this September, why don't you take Susie and enjoy 250 works of art from over 60 artists of contemporary art. That's just only the inaugural collection. The Broad collects nearly 2,000 pieces. Starting, Monday, Aug 31 at 10 in the am you can reserve your entry which happens to start Sept 20. For free! Just like the Getty, parking is $12, but taking an Uber or getting a ride tackles that cost.


One of the most striking details is Infinity Mirrored Room, soon to probably be in a bunch of Vine videos a photos online. The room will have time slot for the psychedelic experience you'll have to yourself for less than a minute.

For more info head to the offical website.

For tickets, save this ticket page and be ready to rush to it on Monday.


The Broad
221 S. Grand Avenue

Documentary Now! "Dronez" Review

FU Vice. Vice's awful excuse for a TV show is skewed perfectly in the third episode of "Documentary Now!" Vice is replaced with Dronez, filled with hipster jerk reporters who should be nowhere near anything important and should never be telling anyone the news. How Armisen and Hader treat others and act like rich jerks with Jack Black as their uncaring boss perfectly captures how bad Vice's real show is.

The Iron Giant: Signature Edition

See the Iron Giant with two added scenes? From Warner Bros Feature Animation, a part of the company that was so poorly managed it's dead now. WB can thank Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for the Lego movie and bringing their pathetic presence of animation on the big screen up to snuff.

Let's go back to 1999 when Brad Bird left immediately from making the movie and the division behind it was being asked to leave the offices as it was going up. WB passed on Bird's The Incredible at the time as he's next film in a long line of questions of how the studio didn't just die from poor decisions made in the 90s. Hell, they did make The Matrix somehow.

Iron Giant: Cash in Addition, I mean The Iron Giant: Signature Edition will be screening Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. local time, with an encore event in select markets on Sunday, October 4 at 12:00 p.m. local time.

Check here for theaters near you playing it.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Will Never Die

Aqua Teen Hunger Force you crazy mother... They' re back from the dead for another episode. The supposed last episode, which was boring as Hell, was replaced Wednesday with a new last episode that was classic Aqua Teen with highlander immortality and ultra violence. It might  be taken down, but an episode after number eight went up on AdultSwim.com here. Fans are speculating there might even be one more episode down the line. The latest episode "The Greatest Story Ever Told, " is a much better episode than "The Last One Forever and Ever (For Real This Time) (We F*cking Mean It), " having cameos from classic characters, gun fights and the voice of Space Ghost. Do yourself a favor and remember that the animation is so cheap that the show could easily come back at anytime.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Drive #1 Review: Ughh

Drive #1

A friend just bought me the Blu-ray and made up a story to the employees at Best Buy about it. In his version, the movie is about a guy going on a driving test that has to pass it to deliver potato salad in time. That is not the plot to Drive. A swanky action crime drama about an almost voiceless stunt/getaway driver who ends up running a foul on the mafia set in LA, that Drive. The film has amazing music and used a number of iconic LA locations, all real and can be visited.

Drive #1 could care less about LA then the two signs that says it's taking place in LA. I'm not sure if artist Antoni Fusio lives in LA or knows what LA looks like. Those two signs I mentioned were most likely added last minute. The rest of the art I would say is beyond mediocre.

The story is unfolding of the nameless driver dealing with a job gone bad and breaking his own rules of just driving, nothing else. We get a quick setup for potential sex from a new neighbor and one scene of him kicking some ass. This is no retelling of the movie, it's a new story that I'm mostly going to forget about after reading.

Pass on this tale that doesn't even have the rights to the iconic Scorpion jacket.

Star Vs. the Forces of Evil Early On



We're fans of Daron Nefcy's Star Vs. the Forces of Evil here at TTDILA, she's been working on the show since 2011, but had the concept of the show before then. Check out the main character, Star Butterfly, as a delusional 6th grader with no magical powers. The early concept comic links below show a much sadder adventure for our heroine.

With the early version is a a cat named Cashew, Star forced to tag along on her adventures, the cat was adverse to this. Here's hoping we see Cashew attack her in some way in the series.

Part 1
Part 2

Early comics


Our only gripe with the show is the awful voice acting of Jenny Slate as Flying Princess Pony Head.

Weekly What To Do: Mutated Alice In Wonderland



Curated by Jay Lizo
Exhibition opens Aug. 25, 2015 until Sept 27, 2015
Artist reception is on Sunday Aug. 30, 2015 from 3-6 p.m. with musical performance by Johnnie JungleGuts.
Nan Rae Gallery                
Woodbury University
7500 N. Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91504
Free

Friend of the site, Sky Burchard, has some new video game work to show off alongside some other artist all going over gaming in some way.

"The artists in this exhibition, to varying degrees, show an appreciation for video games. The exhibition’s premise explores how video game graphics and/or technology have influenced contemporary artists."

Lara Bank, Sky Burchard, Derric Eady, Naomi Fox, Johnnie JungleGuts, Norm Laich, Fabian Marcaccio, Eddo Stern, Vladimir Todorovic, Angela Washko

Starts Aug 26
Doors 6pm, films 8pm
The Montalbán
1615 Vine St., Hollywood
$17
Watch classics on top of a building with a view of LA.

Los Angeles Food and Wine Festival
Aug 27-30
Multiple Locations
Price Varies per event

Special events throughout LA for foodies and wine connoisseurs. Heavenly cooked meals and devilish liquored delights to engage in.


Friday, Aug 28, 7pm-11pm
Nerdist Showroom at Meltdown 
Meltdown Comics 7522 W Sunset Blvd
Free 

The 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland will be celebrated with a new tribute show this Friday, with a long list of party guests for the tea party; lot's of artists. From Nico
Colaleo, the same curator who brought us the Back To The Future Tribute Art Show.









OC Japan Fair 2015
Aug 28-30
88 Fair Dr
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
$5.00

Enjoy Japanese culture over three days with a meat festival and sake tasting.

Aug 28-30 
Veterans Park 
4117 Overland Avenue in Culver City
Admission Free 

he weekend will feature carnival rides and games, live performances, over 100 booths featuring artisan wares, vendors and local groups, a petting zoo and pony rides, a beer and wine garden, farmers market, food trucks and a food court, sustainability activities and other special contests and events.

5th Annual Long Beach BBQ Festival
Aug 28-30
Rainbow Lagoon Park, Long Beach
$12 per day

A huge slab of BBQ meat for you to munch down on with grillers from all over.

BioBlitz L.A. Meet-Up
Saturday, August 29, 9 – 11 am
900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007
Free
 
At the BioBlitz L.A. Meet-Up, participants will get tips from NHM experts on taking nature photos and identifying local wildlife while freely exploring Exposition Park. They will also learn how to post their photos and observations to the L.A. Nature Map to create data that scientists can use.


In Box
August 29 - September 16, 2015
Opening Reception with the Artists: Saturday, August 29, 2015, 6:30-10:00 PM
GR2
2062 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90025
 
In Box is an exhibition of work contained in a 12” x 12” wooden box. Eighteen artists fill and create within the space. Curated by Audrey Kawasaki, In Box promises to be a strong group exhibition filled with mystery of how each artist will execute their project.
 



Saturday, August 29th, 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm.
Brand Blvd. 
Free
Live entertainment and over 400 pre-1980 cars cars on display with fireworks at the end of the night.





6th Annual Los Angeles Craft Beer Crawl
Saturday, August 29, 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Near 131 E 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
$59.00 - $79.00

Attendees will have over 100 craft beers to sample across 7 unique downtown LA bars & restaurants, all within walking distance.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Cooties Free Screening

Kick-off SpectreFest by seeing Cooties for free. Get there early, this will fill up fast.

FREE SNEAK PREVIEW: Cooties Thursday, September 3rd, 7:30PM The Cinefamily 611 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.