Fri
18
Nov

How to Create TV Shows Using After Effects

Make TV Shows with After Effects

The impact of video editing in the modern world can´t be described with simple words, but is as today one of the most important factors when trying to express an idea, sell a product, or even tell a story. This is due to the fact that most of human communication is concentrated now in social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, sites and apps that heavily rely on the use of video, so the one that can add the best effects, or creative ways to express an idea, will surely be the most visited of all.

Fri
18
Nov

There's More To Life Than Death In M.G. Mason's Short Fiction Collection 'Spooky Salmonweird'

The British medievalist scholar and author Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) is best remembered for his volumes redefining supernatural fiction. First published at the dawn of the twentieth century, his perfected narrative devices set a gold standard, pulling ghost stories from the cliché of formal Gothic backdrops in favor of realistic contemporary settings and everyday protagonists. Highly regarded even today, the classic Jamesian tale (as his technique was dubbed) often featured quiet, quaint English villages, seaside towns or country estates imperiled by vengeful wraths intruding upon our world from beyond the grave, and echoes of James' craft linger in the works of such subsequent literary icons as H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, T.E.D. Klein, Ramsey Campbell and Stephen King.

Wed
16
Nov

Diana Panton's "Blue" Will Have You Feel Anything But

Diana Panton, "Blue"

Have you ever had one of those moments where you were just settling into you chair, just about all set to start listening to music. You’ve hit the play button on your CD player, but you’re still a moment or two from being truly situated and focused. All of a sudden, the first words and notes are sung and played, and you jerk your head up, stop what you’re doing, and shoot your eyes straight to the space between your speakers -- because what you just heard is recorded so well and the vocals so pure and lifelike that you forget finishing settling in and just stop and listen.

That’s what happened to me just now when I cued up the new CD from Diana Panton, “Blue.”

I confess, I had not heard Diana before this album, and was instantly blown away by her beautiful voice and singing style. This has only happened to me twice before, once with Eva Cassidy and the other with Julie London.

Tue
15
Nov

Geeks Got Gifts from 2022 Streaming Services

Streaming Services Many Options

The year 2022 was an excellent year to be a geek, as the multiple streaming services offered up a plethora of shows based on franchises in the science fiction, fantasy, comic books, and gaming sectors. And whether you loved or hated the shows, you were undoubtedly talking about the shows, driving social media interactions throughout the year. So here's a geek's-eye view of the year in streaming in the US -- let us know your faves (and disses)!

Amazon Prime

Paper Girls

Adapted from the comic book of the same name by Brian K. Vaughn and Cliff Chiang, this series is a time travel adventure in which a group of young girls finds their way to the future to see what their lives will become and what they can do to alter the course of their destinies.

Thu
10
Nov

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Is A Brilliant Goodbye to Chadwick Boseman

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever starts officially on 11/11/22 though your mileage may vary.

If you follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe closely enough, you'll see stories on the internet about some big shot director or another complaining about how MCU maestro Kevin Fiege takes away the director's freedom to tell the tale they wanted to tell. These directors typically are not and have never been attached to an MCU movie and probably are just whining because their features haven't come close to what a typical Marvel movie does at the box office. They also must not be watching Ryna Coogler's Black Panther films, because the first film, starring the late great Chadwick Boseman, was a revelation both in terms of the MCU and African American pop culture. WIthin days if not hours of the first film's release in 2018, video testimonials were popping up all over social media with folks offering up moving, deeply personal testimonials about the importance of having a relatable black superhero on the big screen at last.

Mon
07
Nov

Is the End Nigh for Indiegogo?

Buried on Indiegogo

For the past handful of years there have been two major players in the arena of crowdfunding projects: Kickstarter and Indiegogo. But over the past few weeks, the San Francisco based Indiegogo has gone eerily silent while its platform has been exhibiting nasty behavior.

Questions arose about the platform when graphic novel and comic book campaigns were apparently being shadowbanned -- a term for when a campaign on the site is not actively being promoted. However, in its elevated form, shadowbanning can also prevent a shopper from finding the campaign using Indiegogo's own search function. Two current examples of this are Private American by Mike Baron and Frog G: Voodoo, Gods, and Magic by Jason Bascom, two project which can only be reached on Indiegogo through having the direct link to the project.

Fri
04
Nov

Thrilling Hobbies to Try If You're Into Action Movies

Skydiving

Action movies are all about excitement and adventure. Everyone knows that. What you might not currently know is that there are tons of thrilling hobbies out there that are perfect for action movie fans. It could be anything, from skydiving to rock climbing, from racing cars to bungee jumping. If you’re into action movies, then the chances are that you’re also into thrills and adrenaline rushes. And what better way to get your adrenaline fixed than by participating in some of the most thrilling hobbies out there? Here are just a few incisive ideas to get you started:

Rock Climbing

Fri
04
Nov

Red Water Entertainment/Jackpot Films' 'The Sleep Experiment' Is A Dark Depiction Of Humankind's Unsettling Inhumanity

Sleep is one of the essential mysteries of existence. Each evening our bodies are compelled to shut down; our mental capacity slows, our muscles paralyze, and we wander unfettered through the shadowy dreamscapes of our subconscious. It’s estimated that fully a third of our fleeting life is spent under Morpheus’s spell; quite simply, we don’t want sleep, we need it, as surely as food and water. A good night’s rest restores the immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems, just as it enhances our mood, memory, sexual function and cognitive ability. Yet there exist a host of disorders--insomnia, hypersomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea; somnambulism, bruxism and circadian rhythm maladies--that can destroy sleep with dire consequences.

Mon
31
Oct

ISOM: A Character Who Stands for Nothing

Isom #1

A few months ago, YouTube influencer Eric D. July, better known by his channel handle Young Rippa, announced his intention to launch his own Rippaverse line of comics- starting with a premiere title ISOM #1. This announcement got a lot of attention, as expected of a man who built a platform with some 500,000 subscribers, and when the campaign launched it was an unprecedented success, clearing millions of dollars within a matter of days and getting a national spotlight of praise and vitriol from both sides of the political debate through exposes on Fox News and the New York Times about the “Anti-Woke” comic book.

Sun
30
Oct

HBOMax's Barbarian Falls Flat

Barbarian

Directed by Zach Cregger (in his solo directorial debut), Barbarian (2022) was released this September to rave critical reviews and became the sleeper hit of the after-summer movie, slump grossing over $42 million worldwide against a $4.5 million budget.

Recently released to HBO MAX for streaming, I finally got the chance to see what the hype was all about. Immediately, I was sucked into the opening plot: a young woman (Georgina Campbell) arrives at an Airbnb only to discover that the home was already rented out by another, a stranger named Keith (Bill Skarsgård). Having nowhere else to go, she stays at the rental property with him and strange things start to happen.

Thu
27
Oct

7 Surprise TV Hits of 2021 That Are Back for a Second Season

Image Source: Unsplash

 

Most television producers can predict if a show will be popular. For example, The Rings of Power is backed by clever marketing and nostalgia, so everyone expected it to attract big numbers. Other times, producers are shocked when a new IP becomes a cultural phenomenon.

7 Television Hits in 2021 That No One Saw Coming

The following television hits completely blew pre-premiere expectations. No one expected shows like Squid Game, Ginny & Georgia, and Bling Empire to be popular, but they were.

1. Squid Game

Squid game is a South Korean survival drama that revolves around a deadly contest, but you probably already know that. This show was released worldwide on September 17th, 2021, to critical acclaim and international attention. It became the top-viewed program in 94 countries.

Tue
25
Oct

Family Is The Deadly Tie That Binds In Caitlin Marceau's Masterful Novella 'This Is Where We Talk Things Out'

True to the old saying, family is the tie that binds. No matter how much we grow and change as individuals, from womb to tomb we are inescapably a part of that unchosen genetic lineage whether we like it or not. Often that blood bond is a beneficial boon--ideal families love us, raise us, teach us, but sometimes, for an endless variety of reasons, families don't get along, and over time disagreements, arguments and long-lingering animosities cause rifts that can be difficult, if not impossible to bridge. In any other social situation resolution could be achieved through a mutual (or forced) parting of ways, but if a relative becomes toxic to your life, then what? Is it ever possible to completely sever those hereditary links?

Tue
25
Oct

The Marvel of Marvel: Ranking the Six Best Movies in the MCU

Quantumania

It’s now more than three years since Marvel released Avengers: Endgame, and in doing so, the MCU showed just how much potential they had at their fingertips as the climatic end to the Avengers series went on to become the second-highest grossing movie of all time.

Just over two months later, they brought an end to phase three of the Marvel series with Spider-Man: Far from Home, and there will have been many wondering what would happen next with the film series, given that key characters, and the actors that brought them so expertly to life, were saying farewell.

Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans waved goodbye to their exploits as Iron Man and Captain America, and producer Kevin Feige set in motion a plethora of new projects for both the big and small screen.

Mon
24
Oct

Crucifixion Press Resurrects Pulse-Pounding Pulp Action In The New Anthology, 'Shoot The Devil'

In the August, 1928 issue of seminal pulp fiction publication Weird Tales (the same magazine responsible for first popularizing the material of cosmic horror pioneer H.P. Lovecraft), a story by legendary Conan creator Robert E. Howard appeared featuring a somber and gloomy 17th century Puritan wanderer whose sole motivation was the destruction of evil in all its unearthly forms. Solomon Kane's inaugurate adventure, 'Red Shadows', set the tone for much of the character's later excursions--deeply religious, Kane sported all-black attire and boldly confronted his infernal enemies with rapier, dirk and a brace of flintlock pistols. Readers of the era lapped it up, and multiple stories in the series were released before Howard's tragic and untimely death.

Sun
23
Oct

Importance of Family Support for Drug Users

Family Support for Drug Users

Addiction is a serious disease that can affect anyone. However, it often has a particularly devastating impact on families. If you have a loved one struggling with drug abuse, it's important to understand what you're up against and how you can get help. Without family support, it is very difficult to get through it.

This blog post will provide an overview of Addiction, its effects on families, and some tips for coping with the situation.

Stay strong - you aren't alone!

What is Addiction?

Despite negative consequences, Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use. It is considered a mental disorder because it changes how the brain functions. These changes can be long-lasting and lead to harmful behaviors seen in people abusing drugs.

Sun
23
Oct

How to Cope with Schizophrenia?

How to Cope with Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental illness that influences how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. It can be a very challenging illness to cope with, both for the person who has it and for their loved ones. But there is schizophrenia treatment available to cope with it and lead a productive life.

In this blog post, we will talk about some of the best ways to cope with schizophrenia.

What Is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that affects a person's ability to think, manage emotions, make decisions, and relate to others. People with schizophrenia may withdraw from reality, act out in odd or confusing ways, or seem detached and emotionless. The condition is chronic and can be debilitating, but there are treatments available that can help people manage their symptoms and live productive lives, and keep in mind that in some cases, it can be a lifelong treatment.

Tue
18
Oct

Familiarity Doesn't Destroy Millman Productions/Sandaled Kid Productions Latest Horror Effort 'Sawed Off'

It's been said that, creatively speaking, there are no new ideas. To a certain extent the hypothesis is valid: every artistically inclined soul, whether they be a painter, sculptor, musician, writer or filmmaker, is only the sum of one's individual tastes in their given medium. Just as Plato was influenced by his mentor Socrates, so did Plato's philosophical musings mold his own student Aristotle; blues guitarist Muddy Waters impacted early rock gods Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones, who in turn impressed future generations of musicians; even weird-lit icon H.P. Lovecraft, whose inspiration affected untold imaginative minds, was self-admittedly a product of boyhood admiration for Edgar Allan Poe and Lord Dunsany. In this theory of artistic evolution what appears to be innovation (the abstract art of Marcel Duchamp or Picasso, for instance), is merely an opposing reaction against previous established trends rather than any stylistic revolution.

Sun
16
Oct

Big Media: "All Your Copyright Are Belong To Us!"

Big Media

If you've shared anything on the Internet, whether in video, image, or textual form, you're probably at least glancingly familiar with copyright laws. It doesn't matter if it's accidental, if it's a small infringement, if you did it with or without the intent to make any money from the matter, or even if you credited the copyright owners: If it belongs to someone else, you're violating copyright.

In most cases, a violation will be handled simply by the removal of the content. Other places, like YouTube, will either mute a segment of video that has copyrighted material or, if the video is monetized, send that monetization to the original copyright holder. They won't overlook you. Big Media employs teams of lawyers who specialize in looking for these kinds of things in order to protect their intellectual properties (often referred to as "IP").

Thu
13
Oct

Twitter Suspends Marketing Account for Marvel Punisher Writer Mike Baron

Private American Cancelled by Twitter

Veteran comic book writer Mike Baron (Nexus, Punisher, The Flash) is no stranger to pushback when it comes to his creator-owned comics. His earlier graphic novel, Thin Blue Line, which followed police officers navigating a violent protest in their city, had ads on Facebook cancelled, and any mention of the book on Reddit's comic book forums summarily deleted.

Mon
10
Oct

Who are the Most Beloved X-Men Characters?

X-Men by John Byrne

image: John Byrne

The X-Men are one of Stan Lee’s and Jack Kirby’s most popular creations. Created as a metaphor for the civil rights movement of the 60s, a lot of the greatest X-Men stories deal with discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and fear of the other.

With a history spanning over 60 years, and an ever-changing team roster, the X-Men have produced some of Marvel Comics’ most popular and fan-favorite characters. In this article, we are going to take a look at just a few of the most popular X-Men ever to grace the pages of Marvel Comics.

Gambit

Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit, is a charming, gambling, wandering mutant, with the ability to manipulate kinetic energy. The way he most often utilizes this ability is by charging playing cards with kinetic energy, and throwing them as powerful explosives.

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