"ROGUE ONE: A Star Wars Story" Trailer

     You're only reading this if you're a Star Wars fan or half way a fan because you just had kids or nieces, nephews.  Or you keep feeling out of place slowly but surely as the years go by where the geeks are as cool if not cooler than the normal people.  Keep up, we're almost there...with that said, this trailer represents all that is good with economies of scale and free enterprise.  "Rogue One" will represent the first movie outside of the Star Wars timeline that doesn't include the core plot, characters, and mainstream chapter the others do.  This is the result of Disney purchasing the Star Wars brand from George Lucas and continuing the legendary legacy.  This movie's plot is based around a rebel who's mission is to retrieve the Death Star blueprints and get it back to the leaders of the Rebellion so they can figure out how to destroy it.  Basically, this movie is what happens before the first ever Star Wars movie, a "New Hope" where Princess Leia is inserting the info into R2-D2.  It's right at the beginning before Darth Vader boards her ship.  Again, this movie is about how the Rebellion actually gets that information that Leia is giving to R2.  Boom.  Felicity Jones will play the main actress as Forrest Whitaker appears in the movie as well.  Main stream opening is set for December and the holidays.  This is only the beginning as Disney has free reign to expand and capitalize on their 4 Billion dollar investment.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to movies, TV, cartoons, etc.  Who doesn't want more Star Wars? Exactly.

"Hello" Ken Jeong x Rob Riddle

     Fox Sports won with this great parody featuring Rob Riddle and Ken Jeong, two of Hollywoods favorite comedic actors.  If you're a fan of any of the teams in the NFC East this year, you clearly have watched some of the worst professional football ever witnessed.  The Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, and Skins have all showed the rest of the world how not to play, but all the while allowing each of them to have "hope" that they can win the division and still selvedge a season to forget about.  What better way than to make light of the ugly situation by parodying the super popular Adele ballad, "Hello".  The lyrics are great and the vocals from Lindsay Harper make this the only thing worth smiling about when it comes to the NFC Least.  Let's see how the season shapes up, but consider this the 2015 highlight for all 4 teams.

RZA x Montreality

Montreality has the art of the interview down to a science or even better, mathematics.  Who better to represent those mathematics than the almighty RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan.  It's no secret that he's probably my all time favorite artist, hence my moniker and the love for the W for the past almost twenty years.  This interview gives tremendous insight as to why I'm a fan and a student of the Abbott.  You can also see why and how the brand is as relevant today as it was when it started in the early 90's and has influenced even todays biggest musical stars.  Drake, who is arguably music's most popular artist, has the Wu flag representing all over his latest album.  Goes to show that RZA's values and dedication to his art and product is as genuine as anything else and will last the generations.  Education, hard work, humility, and leadership are all virtues that man should live by and he's proof of that.  Enjoy the interview and remember, Wu-Tang is for the children and is Forever.

I'm Funny How ??

Pretty great parody of a couple of classic movie scenes...been out for a while, but great none the less.
Happy Thanksgiving...

"Philly Is Ugly" x Nathaniel Dodson

     Having never lived more than an hour away from the City of Brotherly Love, it has obviously given me an affinity for one of the first cities in this country.  The long chronicled history has been told many times and is embedded in the city's culture and personality.  Philadelphia has served as the metropolitan cityscape for the South Jersey, Delaware,  and Eastern Pennsylvania region since inception.  It's easy to get overlooked when you're in between the city that never sleeps and the nation's capital but there is no doubt that Philly has it's personality and can hold it's own amongst the best cities in the world.  Although some outside perceptions of Philly has been the opposite..
     Local Philadelphia photographer Nathaniel Dodson put together a short film, using stop motion photography, to dispel the myth of the city's aesthetics.  The title "Philly is Ugly"  pokes fun at that idea as he gives everyone a really wonderful view of the city we've grown to love.  It also gives you a different view of the things we see every day and take for granted or don't think much of.  A building here, a road there…
     A great original soundtrack, provided by @shelteredturtle, accompanies the visuals as well.  Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did and feel a little sense of pride for "our" city.  
     You can follow Nathaniel on Twitter @EndyPhoto for more information and behind the scenes footage.



Philly Is Ugly from Nathaniel Dodson on Vimeo.
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The Man With The Iron Fists X RZA Trailer

     RZA has come full circle in his illustrious career as he writes, acts, and directs in his very own motion picture kung fu blockbuster,  "The Man With The Iron Fists".  Bob Digi grew up watching and used kung-fu flicks as inspiration for the super group Wu Tang Clan.  Now he becomes the actual martial arts hero he always admired as he plays a local village blacksmith.  Teaming up with his jedi master, Quentin Tarantino, the movie looks to have that signature tongue in cheek, bloody humor and non-stop action throughout.  Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu both lend their talents, along with Pam Grier, Real World Alum Jamie Chung, and wrestling star David Bautista.  RZA and Eli Roth wrote the story over the course of two years and looks to be worth checking out.  Check out the official trailer.

"Kobe System" - Kobe x Kanye

     Nike marketing is one of the most creative groups out there, always continuing to impress with their campaigns and commercials.  The Kobe System series is one that is in full motion as there have been a series of commercials that has Kobe Bryant lecturing to countless celebrities on success.  The irony being that these are some of the most successful humans on the planet.  Of course, one of them is Kanye West and Nike plays off his self-appreciating attitude to perfection in these great ad's.

"Bad Girls " - M.I.A.

     Hard to believe that M.I.A. will be releasing her fourth album already, but of course it's welcome with open ears.  She's one of the most creative and well respected artists on the planet as she combines many different sounds, styles, and cultures.  Along with being a mother, she also does a lot of social awareness and charity work.
     She just released this video for her one of her newest singles "Bad Girls" that will be released on her new album this year.  Roman Gavras directed the video as it was shot in Morocco.  Danja produced the upbeat track as the visuals are pretty dynamic with BMW's doing 360's in the desert and swagged out costumes.  Overall, pretty bad ass and I'm sure the album will be just as good.

IceGrill,USA - Part 2 Interview with Greg Santarsiero

     We watch movies every day and we never really consider how that film became reality.  They just don't show up in the theatre, DVD, and cable.  There are endless hours of creating, writing, casting, shooting, editing and the guts to put it in the public spotlight.  Even then, it doesn't equal success but sometimes it does and you can see why.  I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to  interview Ice Grill,USA movie co-creator, writer, and director, Greg Santarsiero, and ask some questions about his movie.  
     We spent an afternoon at the South Philly institution, Tony Lukes, and after some cheesesteaks, we got to talking about his inspirations, what got him into films, what inspired Ice Grill,USA, hip hop and everything in between.  It was great to get an inside look at the film making process, but more so, the passion, drive, and dedication from someone who is doing all they can to pursue their dream.  It was definitely inspiring to see and listen to an artist that is still very hungry and truly believes in his talent.  After you watch Ice Grill, USA, it's hard to not be a fan and connect with both the movie and what made the movie a reality, especially if you're from the South Jersey region, but really from any region where the struggle continues.  I see very big things in the future for these guys and I'm honored to have Greg as my first interview for ElephantSmart, as he represents a lot of the same things that drives me everyday.

The sky is truly the limit for Greg and his collective, Enlightened Party Multimedia.  You can find more information about him and the other co-creator, Mark Bernardi, on their movie site, IceGrillUSA.com along with a ton of additional information about the film. 
Follow Greg and the film on twitter @GSantarsiero and @icegrillusa.  Big thanks to Alex Errico for the pictures, follow him @aerricomediallc and to contact him.  You can find my review for the movie HERE.

KingRizza: You wanna say a little bit about yourself, what inspired you to make films?

Greg:  Yeah, myself and my associate Mark Bernardi, pretty much my best friend since 6th grade, co-collaborator, have done everything together from the ground up.  We met in 5th and 6th grade and found our way into film making right around the Pulp Fiction era, our later years in high school.  We started to get into indie films and I realized around that time that I had a gift for writing. I know Mark is a brilliant guy, one of the smartest people I know.  We started to think what we were going to do with our lives, the big picture.  At that time, we were both into sports time big time, especially basketball.  The idea of making a career of that was far fetched, but the idea was how do you live an extraordinary life, make an impact, do something that touches peoples lives.  We grew up in a colorful area, where there is such a diverse group of people in Brigantine, South Jersey, right outside of Atlantic City.  We were around such a diverse group of guys, people of all walks of life, class, ethnic groups, ages, from people 5 years younger to people 25 years older, so we really had an appreciation for the region and plight of the working class, with how much depth and color to the people of that realm.  I’m from a blue collar background, middle class background, surrounded with people with such interesting personalities and diverse backgrounds.  So many instances where people made indelible impressions on you and themselves were characters.  
I’ve always been into hip hop.  My first encounter was when my mom bought me a Run DMC, King of Rock, tape.  I had a buddy who had an older brother who had Eric B and Rakim posters on his wall and we looked up to him. My mom worked at a bookstore and they sold tapes.  I had a record collection at the time, my dad was into Motown.  Having that hip hop cassette pretty much from that point on in 3rd grade, it was strictly hop hip, I’m 33 now, so since i was 8 years old, i’ve been basically listening to nothing but hip hop.  I think hip hop has directly influenced our view of the world, basically as class and the sociology of growing up in america in the 80’s and 90’s and it directly impacted our view of the world and impacted the kind of art we wanted to create.  So we came from this working class background with all walks of life and the influence of hip hop.  Those things impacted directly, the kind of films we wanted to make.

Click below for the full interview and believe me, it's worth the read:

Ice Grill,USA - Part 1 Review

     "Drugs. Sex. Gambling. All In A Day's Work." is the subtitle for the movie ICE GRILL, USA, which sets the tone of the film before you even hit play.  Local New Jersey filmmakers Greg Santaserieo and Mark Bernardi wrote and directed the drama that takes place in Atlantic City, where the movie was filmed,  as well as where they grew up.  I appreciate the regionalism and authenticity since I myself grew up about a half hour outside of the city of bright lights and dark alleys.  They do a fantastic job of using the resort city as it's own role in the movie as the characters shuffle through the environment trying to figure out how to make the best of their lives.  The life of money, night life, booze, girls, and the party never stopping is what is always offered but the line between good fun and illegal trouble is always blurred.  Especially when you live, work, play and survive in that environment all of your life.
     Auggie Logan, played by Connor Fox, is the man in the middle of the journey as he comes back to Atlantic City to embark on adulthood and make career decisions that will affect him the rest of his life.  He rekindles his relationships with his family along with long time friends who have never left.  Immediately, he's faced with two different avenues in which he knows the consequences of, but it's a matter of getting immediate satisfaction or what he knows to be the "safer" route.  Consistent pressure from both sides progresses as he plays the middle constantly juggling his own thoughts.  Does the promise of gorgeous arm candy, money, and respect make him cave to a life of watching over his shoulder, possibly jail, and even death or does he follow society's morals and climb the corporate ladder, pay taxes, and be "normal" even though that lacks the sex appeal and great times the former offers?  It's actually a pretty common life question that a lot of people probably face at some point, especially in a community such as Atlantic City or thousands of cities, towns across the country.  In these situations, it sometimes seems easier (and enjoyable) to sell drugs, quick cash, pop bottles and shorties, then it is to wake up at 6 am, do your 9 to 5, listening to crap from your boss, always feeling broke.
     The movie elevates the emotion when these options could possibly be the same thing.  Love, hate, pride, jealousy, …there is a thin line between such different emotions.  A lot of times, it can be the same thing that triggers both.  Auggie is presented with all these contrasts as the two lives he lives starts to become the same.  He's forced to make choices that will shape his future along with the people around him.  His brother and boss on one side of his casino job and his "boss" on the other side of his illegal life.  At the same time all this is going on, there's another driving force that affects everybody involved and affects all of their decisions.  That magnetic force is bombshell cocktail waitress, Claudia.  She plays her role to perfection as she is the main trophy of anyone she comes in contact with and she knows it. Like many situations, common sense loses to passion when matters of the heart are concerned, especially when she's wanted by many in an environment where image is everything.  Take the journey with Auggie, Claudia, and the rest of Atlantic City's finest, as he chooses his direction, the aftermath, and everything else in between.  
     This emotionally and though provocative movie is very refreshing and entertaining.  It brings new talent and creativity to the forefront of filmmaking.  I look forward to future projects from Enlightened Party Multimedia.  For more on Ice Grill,USA, click HERE for the interview with co-creator, writer, director, Greg Santarsiero, where he gives even a deeper look into the film and the movie making process.



   



     

Coincidence…I Think Not

     The general population have been warned about the dangers of continuing practices of pumping carbon emissions into our planets atmosphere for decades now.  The constant debate of the effects of global warming have gone back and forth between scientists, researchers, governments, politicians and of course, commercial corporations.  As more and more information gets released as to the negative effects of human actions on our environment and climate, it's harder than ever to ignore the real consequences of these actions.  There aren't too many places in the globe that hasn't felt these negative climate impacts directly.  Many communities have experienced record breaking floods, snowfalls, droughts, forest fires, hurricanes, tornadoes in recent years, it begs the question as to WHY this is happening.  At this point, I think we know why, but the bigger question becomes how do we make changes to slow down these effects.  Common sense says that we must pass legislation, increase awareness, and fund further research and development for alternative fuel sources and limit our carbon footprint.
     As I mentioned before, there is a constant debate…and that debate comes in the form of some of the largest companies in the world that have been taking in record-breaking profits based on humans consumptions of fossil fuels.  These fuels emit these dangerous carbon emissions.
The corporate opposition spends gobs of money with lobbyists to discredit and down play the effects of carbon emissions in our environment.  Some companies even try to act as if they're trying to help and want to be a part of the solution rather than be the main cause.  These corporations and lobbyists have a huge hand in influencing legislation and being major road blocks in environmental laws getting passed.  They simply make too much money to allow those profits to be compromised by bills that get passed that could affect their agenda and major sources of profits, which is selling fossil fuels.  If I sell gasoline as a major source of income, why would I support any initiative that promotes alternative fuels, even though it's for the better of the common good?  Because I make too much money and society as it is today, is completely dependent on these fuels so we can live our everyday lives.  It's a dilemma that needs to be addressed and its starts with the general public understanding the information, asking more questions, and forcing our government and corporations to be more socially responsible or else we won't have a viable world to sustain our future.
     What spawned my little rant was this sarcastic video done by Stephen Thomson that was based on a Washington Post editorial by Bill McKibben on connecting the facts from recent extreme weather conditions in the US as well as globally.  You can either be part of the solution, no matter how small the action, or we can continue to ignore the glaring problems at hand until a tornado or flood changes your life forever.  The full editorial article is here and the article discussing the piece and video by Lindsay E. Brown can be found here.


    

Forest Fire

     A couple of music videos have been released recently that pay tribute to the earth's natural mood lifter, cannabis sativa.  It's no secret in 2011 that socially and legally that marijuana has a prominent culture, especially the "arts" and especially our favorite, hip-hop.
     Wale is a premiere wordsmith in todays game of rap and his free mixtapes along with his major label release Attention Deficit are all definitely worth spending the money and time to listen to.  He's also been rocking throwbacks which to me will always be classic instead of some fad.  Wale is definitely known for his gear and sneaker game and he's on point with his Barkley Maxes and the purp 95-96 Scottie Pippen All-Star Throwback…coldblooded.  "Wear what you dig".
This video for "The Cloud" off his More About Nothing Mixtape is a great song with acoustic guitars and a sultry chorus by Tiara Thomas.  You can download this fantasic mixtape here.



     The other video is courtesy of Shia LeBouf….yeah, Transformers, who directs and shoots Kid Cudi's video for his song of his second album, Man on the Moon II, "Marijuana".  Doesn't get more direct than that, but the video is a cool version of a documentary of Cudi's visit to Amsterdam and the Red Light District.  He guest judges for the infamous Cannabis Cup 2011.


KID CUDI - MARIJUANA from Grassy Slope on Vimeo.

Yanks Sawks Commercial

     This New Era commercial is pretty awesome.  Real actors do lend something extra to advertising.  Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski do a hilarious job with the Yankees vs Red Sox rivalry.  Enjoy!
Update: I just added the first commercial between these two, which is just as good.

Sith Ink

     This is one of the coolest tatoo's I've ever seen, let alone, a Star Wars tatoo, which earns triple bonus points.  Obviously, she's a follower of the Darkside, with the iconic portraits of the Death Star, Darth Vader, and a Stormtrooper all intertwined with roses on her sleeve.  Love how the Tie Fighter is coming out of the flower as well.  You can follow the canvas of this tattoo on twitter, @PrincessLesha for many, humorous Star Wars related comments.  Kudos to one of the illest tributes.  Simply Awesome, I can hear Darth Vader's asthma from here..

Lego My Death Star

     Lego's are a timeless classic and so is Star Wars, so it's no secret how popular the combined toys are across all ages.  Here's an awesome time lapse video of @vipstylecars building the Lego Death Star.  Kudos to John on using Gang Starr's Above the Clouds as the soundtrack.  A+ choice.

Star Art

     Here's a great 3 piece poster set from artist Olly Moss for the first 3 Star Wars original movies.  He did it for the art house Mondo and each poster is hand signed and limited to 400 copies each.  They look fantastic  and you can find more information here.

  

Captain Rex

     Can't beat life size sculptures made of Lego's, especially when it's of a Star Wars Clone Trooper.  Here are pics from one I saw in a Toys R Us.  Made of 24,586 lego's and it took 165 hours to build.  It easily stood at 7 feet plus.  I need the job of the person who gets to put this together.

Empire State of Mind Strikes Back

     Big Worm with the big find of a version of Empire State of  Mind that is super galactic.  Star Wars fans, including myself, should love this video that puts a different view of the "Empire".

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Inception Decoder

     Inception will end up being the movie of the summer of 2010.  Starring Leo DiCaprio, this is definitely a thinking persons movie, but has enough action and intrigue to keep everybody's attention.  I finally saw it today considering I haven't heard one negative opinion and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.  I did it enjoy it very much, but I think I need to see it again to give it my true opinion.  I did come across this graphic that definitely makes the movie a little easier to comprehend and follow the process of what they were trying to do.  Pretty neat stuff.

AT-AT Day Afternoon

     Pretty cool video by Patrick Boivin, especially if you're a Star Wars fan and had the actual AT-AT toy back in the day.  See it below or click here.