Monday, June 29, 2015

Mind Sieve 6/29/15

Had a great time at SoonerCon!
But it also means quick post for Monday. heh heh


Hitman Agent 47 Official Trailer 2 - Booyah! I am so there! lol.








Cooties Official Trailer - ROFL! Zombie children due to chicken nuggets. lol.



Okay, have a great Monday everyone!

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Picture Kaleidoscope 6/24/15 - A-kon 2015

Good morning all!

As always, A-kon was full of costumes!


Look at that hat! 


Black Butler - knives and all!


His armor really did look nice!


This one was fantastic! Floating ball and all! 


Cosplayers Assemble!


Beautiful fairy goodness!


The hand armor looked so neat.


Frolicking angels?


This can't end well. :P


All decked out for trouble. heh heh


Princesses?


Ah, my brother came to his first anime convention ever to help us out. This was the line he stood in to get us some grub. Thanks Bro!



Black Crows in the House! 


Isn't she adorable?


Blinged out from top to bottom.


Dragonball's Mr. Satan! (A super softie dude)


Those WILL put an eye out! lol. Fab costume.


Even demons like their bling. Love those ears!


Imposing, no?


Not sure if it is Tony Stark as a bee or something else...?



Hawkgirl - doesn't she look fab?!


Game of Thrones cast! They looked great!


Some of the goodies available this year.


So many temptations


Love, love, love this one! Didn't the costume come out amazing?!


This one too!



Soul Eater peeps!


A prim and proper princess for sure. :)

May the day be good to you!

Monday, June 22, 2015

Mind Sieve 6/22/15

Hello Monday!




Fan Fun


Kung Fu Panda 3 Official Trailer #1 - Woohoo! Hubby and I laughed like loons when we saw the preview. lol. Like Father Like Son. 
















Social Media/Author Platform

Save Money by Designing Your Own Promo from Jami Gold. I've made my own and gotten files from my publisher to try to use components for book trailers, etc. There are definitely benefits and pitfalls.

How to Get Results From Facebook Ads on a Budget from the Social Media Examiner - article by Jenny Brennan



Writing Advice

More than Just a Flashback—Introducing the Easter Egg by Kristen Lamb. Good info!


And that's a wrap! Have a great week!

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Virtual Tourist - TERA 6/21/15

Happy Father's Day All!

TERA
Have lost track of where we were. DOH!


Me Ugly Totem!


Me love you long time!


Funky!


Magic Bot! Looks cool! (And a little scary)



Research Facility


Do love that architecture!


Very austere


Ooooh!


This clock is super cool!


Love the water falling inside the loops!


Nice!


Elevators!


So cool!


Have a great day!

Saturday, June 20, 2015

SoonerCon 2015 Schedule!

Next week is SoonerCon!


And their final panel listing is complete.


So click away on the images to get all the deets!

As for my panels....

Friday
Time Room
3:00 pm Mann (Film/TV) Godzilla at 60 
As the longest-running movie series in history, Godzilla has been both a cult classic and mainstream hit. We discuss why Godzilla is still loved today.

5:00 pm Maynard (Writing) Vampires, Mummies, and Zombies: Why the Undead Fascinate Us
Panelists look at life, death, undeath and re-death


Saturday
Time Room
10:00 am Ballroom D - Main Programming Koffee Klatch
Morning networking with convention guests.

2:00 pm Mann (Film/TV) The Doctor and His Companions: Helper or Hindrance
The companion has been called the "voice of the audience" and the "Doctor's conscience." Does the Doctor need a companion or can he explore time and space on his own?

3:00 pm Ballroom A (Media/Science) Kaiju, Unicorns, Bigfoot, and Dragons
What fantasy beasts and humanoids are plausible, and which are simply fiction? We take a practical look at supernatural creatures.


Sunday
Time Room
11:00 am Mann (Film/TV) Declassifying Stargate
Balancing scientific and social advancement with the need for secrecy is a recurring theme in Stargate. Could an interstellar exploration program actually stay hidden from the public?

Should be awesome! Hope to see you there!

Friday, June 19, 2015

Movie Review - Inside Out

Inside Out



Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle McLachlan, and more.

Directed by: Peter Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen Story by: Peter Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen Screenplay by: Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, and Pete Docter Music by: Michael Giacchino

Premise: Riley's inner emotions thought life was great and couldn't get better - until the family makes a sudden move from Minnesota to San Francisco. Joy, the leader of Riley's emotions, tries to keep everything cheerful and happy, though more and more things start to go wrong. When Sadness's touch suddenly starts turning Riley's happy core memories blue and Joy tries to stop it, everything escalates when the core memories accidentally get swept up and away. Caught along with the core memory spheres, Joy and Sadness struggle to get the memories back to HQ as Riley's internal structure, that which makes Riley Riley, starts collapsing. (Rated PG)

Review:

1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Pixar chose a great cast not only for the humans in the film, but for their emotions as well. Amy Poehler is perky and very peppy as Joy. Phyllis Smith oozes her Sadness. Bill Hader, Lewis Black, and Mindy Kaling are a blast as Fear, Anger, and Disgust. It is Richard Kind you have to watch out for though, as he pulls at your insides as Riley's old imaginary friend, Bing Bong.

2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: As they've shown over and over again, Pixar knows animation. The whole concept of personifying our emotions and making each of them distinct was a challenge they handled quite well. Each emotion had it's own physical traits and even textures. As we meet other denizen's inside Riley, the variations increase. Bing Bong, as an imaginary friend, was given multiple textures, which are fun to figure out.

There's also a close up of Joy late in the film where you can see her hair is something different than what you thought, and her skin is more like fairy dust, and looked amazing! (I have a secret theory she's an in-joke tying back to Disney's Tinker Bell, but have no proof. Fear and Anger are possibly based on others as well, though I've not been able to track down my memory balls on them yet. Yay for homage!)

As always, Pixar pays a great amount of attention to detail. Be it animated versions of San Francisco or the awesome Cloud City inside Imagination Land. The shortcut to the train station and what happens inside the abstract room made for some fun art choices.

The whole concept and setup for Riley HQ and how the audience is introduced to the wonders of the job as Joy meets Riley after she's born were nicely done. Loved how Joy and the audience discover what happens to memory as Riley gets her first happy moment - visible joy, what a treat!

There were some nice understated bits of information that were shared in the animation. While bits probably easily picked up by our subconscious, they might not pass you by. Pay close attention to Riley's team and then the teams for her father and mother. Subtle clues of the lessons Riley's team must learn that her parent's teams already have. Also, note the leaders in each group and their expressions and mannerism, speaking of different levels of confidence, and even of their very essence and how none are exactly the same. Well done!

The animated short before the main film was very cute. It's called LAVA.

3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: One of the fun things about Pixar and several other animation companies is how they've adopted the Japanese philosophy that animation is a medium that can be used to tell stories to people of all ages. The one thing Pixar has definitely mastered is the multiple level set up, where you make it fun and bright and fast for the kids, but also deep, layered, and fun for the adults as well.

A ton of themes are woven into the plot - family, hardships, growing up, teamwork, nostalgia, assumptions and how they can be wrong, taking things for granted, being forgotten, and more. All these themes dive and merge and separate much like they do in real life, which gives them a high resonance factor with the audience. Especially to the adults, as they've been on both sides of the equation.

They don't have you weeping openly by the first five minutes like "UP", but the time does come. So, if you tend to cry at movies, take some tissues with you. You'll need them!

At first glance the plot for "Inside Out" seems straight forward, but it's not. Lots of lovely surprises, humor, and fun.

Conclusion: "Inside Out" is another great addition to the Pixar lineup. Lots of fun for the kids as well as angst and fun for the adults. They poke fun at all sorts of things. Definitely worth watching! And stay through the first half of the credits. Watching other people's and animal emotion groups is a hoot!

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price to See Again)

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Picture Kaleidoscope 6/17/15 - FanExpo 2015 pt 2

Running even later than normal today. Tropical Storm Bill has hit and Texas is getting pounded with water again. Flash floods are highly likely. Highways are a mess. Wheee!


FanExpo 2015 pt 2


 You'll have to look at the bigger size, but he has a super cool Tree of Life on his forehead and face. Nice! 



They can't be up to anything good. :P


Though the equipment is the only thing giving humanity a fighting chance in Attack on Titan, they do require a lot of maintenance. :P


That staff is awesome!


Labyrinth!


Lovely mix of anime and steampunk, no?


Told you they were up to no good!


Daernys patiently waiting (Same lady who wore Halo and was Merida!)


Ernie Hudson aka Winston from Ghostbusters! Sweet!


Yes, I took a few pics of him. Heh heh




Looking good!



Ivy, Joker, and Harlequin all steampunked. :)


Little Gideon from Gravity Falls! She has him down. lol


Cannot be a good thing. lol.



 Fry and Bender! 


His Jaffa costume was rad! 


Yes, the Anubis head swings!


Leather and chains!


Veloci raptor! Right before the movie came out. Nice choice!


Looks great, no?


"Gojira!" aka Godzilla. He moved right after I took the pic. 


Sweet Iron Man suit!

Stay dry ya'll!
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