The third movie of Richard Kelly (@JRichardKelly) of Donnie Darko fame premieres tomorrow, with some promising visuals in the trailer (even if the first reviews aren’t that promising).

And one thing i love about the fantastic genre is the extra care establishing their internet presence. With The Box website, i was particularly impressed with the visuals (and no, it was not about Cameron Diaz) and the masterful aural experience.

Along with the typical sections (downloads, cast, trailers, etc) i’m starting to detect some ARG inspiration integrated in movie websites, by launching some satellite experiences, in this case a teaser website at YouAreTheExperiment.com and even a comic book.

But why do i really blog this? Because my favorite band is doing the movie score along with their Final Fantasy (@OwenPallett) peers. No wonder i loved the audio on the website.

That’s not fair, Spike Jonze. Wasn’t it enough all that cinematography goodness for one of the most beloved books of all time? You really had to put my favorite band playing on the trailer?

If the children don’t grow up,
our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up.
We’re just a million little god’s causing rain storms
Turnin’ every good thing to rust.

Rare Exports Inc, from the land of the original Father Christmas

A long, long time ago Father Christmases roamed free in Lapland. At some point in time, native people found out that these creatures could be caught, and trained to become well-mannered servants. In 1793, a group of native Laplanders set up a small company to export extremely rare Original Finnish Father Christmas ® all over the World. Today, Rare Exports Inc. is one of
the most successful companies in Finland trading with nearly 150 countries.

Rare Exports Inc, directed by Jalmari Helander and produced by Woodpecker Film (http://www.woodpeckerfilm.fi) shows the process of transforming a wild Father Christmas into a finished product, all the way from tracking and hunting in the wilderness, to the intensive training period and finishing touches made to the ready-to-be-shipped item.

A giant set
on a tiny scale.
Thousands of hands
made by hand.
A forest of cherry blossoms
made of popcorn?
A crowd of scottie dogs
to fill an entire theatre.
A drawer full of faces
for just one piece of dialogue.
Fake hair
that thinks it’s real.
5 miles of gold hair thread
for a 5-inch wig?
3500 flowers
that all light up.

This is Coraline, the first handmade film shot in 3d, the film that I’d love to see on screen this Christmas. Sadly, it will only premiere next February. A Laika production, with Henry Selick directing (of Nightmare Before Christmas), the film is based on Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling book.

Before you head on to the website you’ll need these passwords to access the different videos:
stopmotion
buttoneyes
moustachio
puppetlove
armpithair
sweaterxxs

Enjoy.

Just because we love movies,

And you know that you were portrayed in at least one of these videos.

With all the season premieres the past few weeks, it’s easy to forget about online video. With low production budgets, webisodes have to fight hard with outstanding content to keep their audiences. And one of the strategies involves interactive storytelling, by taking advantage of a new kind of web narrative.

That’s what “The Outbreak” is doing. An interactive movie, where choices have to be taken, determining the plot and movie’s final.

Directed by Chris Lund and edited by his wife Lynn Lund, the zombie adventure challenges the user to make the right choice or die.

Beware, there’s a lot of blood if you don’t succeed. I wonder if we’re starting a a trend with B-interactive websites ?

Time for a music post, right before a weekend break.

The Belgian electronic duo David and Stephen Dewaele, aka magnificent Soulwax, premiered their documentary “Part of the Weekend Never Dies” at the Royal Festival Hall yesterday.

They filmed 120 shows with footage of 2manydj’s, Tiga, Justice, So-Me, Peaches, Kitsuné, Klaxons and tons of other artists. Check the trailers

Radio Soulwax – Part of the Weekend never Dies – Are You Filming

and enjoy the weekend.

And for something completely different, a quick one that has been around on my del.icio.us bookmarks.

While the WGA holds the strike, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) does a home run.

Agency: Vitruvio Leo Burnett (Spain)
Source: CCSP

Tomorrow, the nordic epic premieres. And if the website is an appetizer for the movie, then I’m already a fan.

A gothic atmosphere is sucessfuly achieved, with dense photography, a intense soundtrack, and simple but effective transitions between sections (specially the Grendel’s Mother Lair at the Special Features area). The whole interactive experience has several cinematic effects, a lot like the movie’s recently released video game.

The online strategy features the regular movie website gimmicks such as wallpapers, ringtones, and e-cards, and surprise, surprise, had also a Second Life presence. Screenwriter Neil Gaiman appeared last week (slurl) in the virtual world to talk about the new film and offering a free Beowulf avatar.

Other interesting additions include UGC, with a branded Machiminima video trailer contest, and a series of podcasts to download.

If you still haven’t, watch the latest trailer above, unfortunately without hot Angeline Jolie CG footage.