check it out - beyond the black rainbow

pretty sweet, right? that's the trailer for beyond the black rainbow, the debut film from canadian filmmaker panos cosmatos. it premiered at the 2010 whistler film festival and is currently making the rounds at various other events.

beyond the black rainbow is set in a mysterious laboratory called the aboria institute, where a beautiful young girl named elena is held captive by a deranged doctor in search of inner peace. with her brain controlled by evil technology, she waits for her next session, unaware of her true potential. eventually, elena makes a break for it, journeying through the darkest expanses of the institution. however, her doctor won't easily part with his most gifted and dangerous creation.

if the epic trailer isn't enough, a title like beyond the black rainbow should pique the interest of even the most hardened of moviegoers. the film is a science fiction drug-induced atmospheric trance with disturbing horror elements and has been getting rave reviews thus far. definitely try to check it out once you get the chance!

final fantasy iii

have fun!

alright, i'm definitely showing my age and risking my rep as a gamer by saying this, but final fantasy didn't always blow chunks! in fact, the series used to be GOOD! isn't that wild?

for those unfamiliar with console games, final fantasy is the equivalent a proven hollywood blockbuster franchise. the games have (until recent years) been well-received by fans. final fantasy iii is perhaps the most beloved of all and there are seriously over thirty of these games counting the myriad spin-offs. originally released in 1994, it is actually the sixth in the series and was later ported on the playstation as final fantasy vi five years later. it's enough to make your head hurt!

final fantasy iii is an rpg set in a world ravaged by constant struggle. magical beasts called espers once nearly annihilated mankind in a great war centuries ago and then mysteriously died out. the people have rebuilt their world utilizing new technologies but the clouds of war once again hang in the distance. when a young amnesiac girl discovers an esper frozen in ice, she is thrust into an impossible global struggle to save the fates of everyone and discover her true self. and come on, how many games have you played where the world gets destroyed halfway through and YOU KEEP ON GOING? this is some serious stuff and you will put some hardcore hours into it. play at your own risk!

have fun!

star ocean

have fun!

star ocean is the debut rpg from japanese company tri-ace. for anyone unfamiliar with video games, an "rpg" stands for "role-playing game," in which something great is typically at stake and an unlikely hero must face ridiculous odds to save the day. in hindsight, action, adventure, and puzzle are all meshed into a thoroughly entertaining melting pot.

in correspondence with my previous post, star ocean is the first rom available for download on both my babies. to be honest, i'm being terribly biased, because this is my favorite video game series of all time. though flawed and not particularly popular amongst the hardcore gaming crowd, i find the games charming and, more than anything, fun, which is all i ask for in a game.

guide a young swordsman named ratix through time and space itself as he strives to save his planet from a deadly virus that turns living matter into stone. traverse deadly dungeons and temporal landscapes while battling countless foes and recruiting numerous comrades. the controls are easy to understand and the game itself is a blast. what are you waiting for? give it a try! playing couldn't be simpler: extract and use the aforementioned zsnes.

have fun!