The Cosplayer Nation Documentary Premiere

On a warm sunny November afternoon, I was fortunate enough to attend the premiere of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary. The documentary was part of a film festival that was held at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square featuring local film makers and musicians. Amongst these artists is of course our friends, Cosplayer Nation. The CEO and Founder, Joshua Adams and the President and Co-Founder, Uke Li were in attendance. During the first intermission, I got a chance to talk to them and gave them my opinion of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary premiere. They're very nice people and never too busy to say "hello" and chat. So, if you ever see Cosplayer Nation at a convention, don't be shy, just say go up and "Hi!" What did I think of the documentary? Oh... "But wait," you exclaim! "What is Cosplayer Nation?" The short of it, Cosplayer Nation is a project of love started by local New Englanders whom are fans of cosplay. This project later became a legit Organization. Cosplayer Nation travels the world attending conventions seeking out cosplayers and documenting their love and devotion to the art of cosplaying. Basically, cosplaying is dressing up as your favorite character from but, not limited to anime, comic books, movies, pop culture, etc. There's a much deeper level to it but I'll let the real documentarians tackle that. It's literally, "COStume PLAY." A tribute to ANY character or any THING that you're a fan of. You like Einstein? Go ahead, dress up as the wacky atom splitting physicist. Your favorite is a German from the 40's? Sure? BUT! Make sure you don't unintentionally turn that into a hate crime. I'll save the skin and Nazi part of cosplaying for another post. Now, how did I like the Cosplayer Nation Documentary? I enjoyed it a lot. Uke Li was nice enough to show me a trailer of the documentary a couple of years ago and asked me to give an opinion. I ungraciously forgot (sorry Uke. I hope this post makes up for it). My reaction to that initial trailer was very positive. When Cosplayer Nation announced the premiere of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary, I immediately made plans to go and check it out. The film opens with a news reporter interviewing a cosplayer. The reporter was wondering why the cosplayer was dressed up since it wasn't Halloween. Then the film cuts to the news room and you can definitely see the confusion in the news correspondents' weirded out faces. It provoked laughs in the audience but more importantly it sets the tone of the film on answering the question, "what is cosplay?" From the intro, the film rolls into a segment with people dressing up as their favorite characters. Cosplayer Nation definitely took the time and effort to go through hundreds of hours of footage to cut together a very impressive looking group of cosplayers. The music Cosplayer Nation chose to accompany the colorful characters on screen was a very interesting (good interesting) cover of the Legend of Zelda theme with a melodic beat. I have to say, it's pretty Cool! There were people in the audience bopping their heads to the beat. The documentary is not a just a drawn out showcase of people in costumes. It's an unbiased look into the world of cosplaying and goes deeper into the psyche of the culture. It included interviews on the whys and the whats of these devoted artists. Why the many painstaking hours of work in making the costumes? What inspired these people to work so hard to risk being ridiculed? Some of these costumes are much better than what the professionals in Hollywood with a huge budget can create. Actually, I'd always felt that simply calling these incredible works of art "costumes" and "cosplays" does them injustice. But for a lack of my limited vocabulary, I'll stick to what I know. The love for this art also shines through the making of the documentary. The Cosplayer Nation Documentary took us back in time to WorldCon with The First documented costume. It even educated us on the etymology of the word "Cosplay." Diving deeper into the meaning of this art form, the film makers interviewed Danny Choo, the Dancing Stormtrooper of Tokyo, who gave us his take on the culture over in Asia. Another well known cosplayer interviewed was Holly Conrad. She's a Mass Effect cosplayer who got noticed by the movie and videogame industries. Now she's a professional costume designer. Holly Conrad was also featured in Morgan Spurlock's Comic-Con movie, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. A segment in the documentary that I really liked was the counterpoint of cosplaying. You know, that person who just doesn't get the art: "Why are you dressed up?" "Are you trying to get attention?" "What's the difference between this and a cry for help?" Later on, the film appropriately cuts to professionals such as system administrators, accountants and lawyers who participates in cosplay as an art form and self-expression. It included a well known Mr. T cosplayer in the New England area telling us what it's all about. He sounded rough but very articulate which is a lot like the documentary itself. The documentary is a bit rough on the edges. I had trouble hearing some of the interviews because the audio was a bit low. But the message it was getting across was legible. During my talk with the film makers (Joshua Adams and Uke Li), they assured me that the sound mixing will be better in the final cut. Yes, final cut. The version of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary shown at the Brattle Theater was only 15min long. This was not because of the film makers short sight. It was because of the time constraint set by the Film Festival. The film makers went on saying that the finished documentary will be much more focused and it'll touch upon the different cultures of cosplaying in other countries. I can not wait. I'd seen documentaries on Pop Culture Conventions such as Trekkies and Morgan Spurlock's Comic-Con movie but, none of them focused on just cosplaying. Cosplaying has became a phenomenon. You've probably seen someone walking down the street as some sort of character when it wasn't Halloween and wondered if the person was crazy. Maybe? But this art form definitely needs a movie if not, a series of movies to tell its story and to clear up misconceptions. It's been months since I did any real writing on this blog let alone, a review. I am glad that the Cosplayer Nation Documentary gave me the inspiration. There is a preview version of the documentary that is longer than 15min and it might show up in a theater, college or convention near you. I highly recommend checking it out if you get a chance. Whether you understand this type of art form/culture or not, the film is highly enjoyable and you'll definitely come out knowing much more about cosplaying. The Cosplayer Nation Documentary was both captivating and fun and as a cosplaying friend of mine would simply put it, "EPIC!" Below is a link to the Cosplayer Nation youtube channel and Facebook. There are hours of cosplay footages and interviews from all around the world. I highly recommend subscribing: Cosplayer Nation's Youtube Channel Cosplayer Nation on Facebook I also linked the trailers of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary. Enjoy! You Know My Name - Cosplayer Nation "CMV" - Cosplay Music Video Cosplayer Nation Cosplayer Nation (2011 Trailer) - Documenting American Cosplayers across the U.S. Cosplayer Nation One of the highlights of the premiere was Cobra Commander shown at 0:47 of this trailer getting a huge applause. RATING: 4/5

PAX East 2012

PAX East was my first convention for 2012. It was also my first time at PAX East and I was totally overwhelmed. Knowing the MA area well, I thought I was smart enough to be able to get to the Boston Event and Convention Center (BECC) with no problem but I got stuck in traffic at South Station and my car crawled all the way from the Turnpike off ramp to the BECC's alternate parking garage. The alternate garage wasn't too far away from the convention center. It was a 10-15min walk (which was a lot faster than driving in traffic). There were shuttle buses but, being a nice crisp, chilly New England day my group and I decided to walk instead. It was sunny, some wind, a bit nippy... spring was in the air...

Brental Floss and Keith Apicary at Game UnderGround

The incredibly amazingly fantastically musically talented... Maybe I'm hyping him too much? Anyway, the Brilliant Brental Floss will be at GameUnderground on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 8pm. Who is Brental Floss you might ask? Well... I've been getting a serious case of writer's block so, I'm just going to let the links below explain it for you: BRENTALFLOSS.COM GameUnderground Here's a sample of Brental Floss' Music: Robo's Theme WITH LYRICS brentalfloss Be sure to check out his youtube channel for more: brentalfloss AND! As an added bonus, Keith Apicary will be showing up at GameUnderground on the same night! That's Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 8pm.

Curious George & Friends Store Re-Opening

Last June (2011), the Curious George & Friends book store at Harvard Square closed its doors what seemed to be for good. The owners could not keep up with the tough economy. After the store's closing, it housed Mottley's Comedy Club but, the owners of the comedy club did not lease the space. This gave an opportunity for a pair of local entrepreneurs, Adam and Jamie Hirsch to buy the store. They plan to release the monkey once again, allowing Curious George to cause as much trouble as he wants! The Curious George & Friends store plans to re-open on April 28, 2012. The Crimson: Curious George To Reopen Doors Last June's article on Groggy Robot: Back in the Day: Curious George Bookstore

Tebowie

Hello Youtubes! I don't follow American football much but, living in the New England area, I do watch some of the high profile Patriots games from time to time. Being an 80's kid, I grew up following the Red Sox, the Patriots, the Bruins and the Celtics. Following these teams is almost like following a religion. Tonight's Pats vs Broncos was a pretty good game... for the Pats! And this is too good not to share: Tebowie (1/12/12) LNightFan1

UFO Sighting: New Bedford, MA

I WANT TO BELIEVE Orange glowing lights were seen in the night skies from New Bedford, MA to Swansea, MA this past weekend (December 2 - 4, 2011). Witnesses were convinced that these glowing lights are UFO's. I want to believe. Unknown Objects over OCean Grove, Dec. 2 2011 radioricmail But, with anything supernatural or other worldly, I'm always a skeptic first. I believe these lights are Chinese Sky Lanterns. They move the same way and are about the right shape. How To Launch a Chinese Sky Lantern MikeSenn64 southcoasttoday.com's coverage on the sightings: Odd airborne lights spark UFO talk in SouthCoast More on the Chinese Sky Lanterns after the "JUMP!"

Keith Apicary Underground (Again)

Hello Youtubes! Keith couldn't get enough of Framingham, MA during his Apicarnage Tour. So, he'll be at Game Underground again on Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 8pm. I believe the charge for the Keith Apicary's Merry Keithmas Show is $10. It'll be one of the funnest 10 bucks you'll spend. Here's the link to the Game Underground Website: GameUnderground Check out the Game Underground December Events Calender for more info (be sure to click on the 18th): Game Underground December Calender Apicarnage 9/18/11: A montage of the Apicarnage U.S. tour. That's us at Game Underground chanting "Keith" at 2:55. You can catch me and RFBlues in the video if you look close enough. Keith Apicary - Classic Gaming Wiz (Blue Hedgehog Remix) TalkingClassics Don't know who Keith Apicary is? Don't worry! This video will help with your Keithducation: Ultimate Keith Apicary Reel nathanjbarnatt Links: Game Underground's Website: game-underground.com Talking Classics's Youtube Channel: TalkingClassics Talking Classics on Screwattack.com: talking-classics

Super Megafest 2011

Super Megafun! Super Megafest 2011 happened last weekend on November 19th and 20th at the Sheraton Hotel in Framingham, MA. With Thanksgiving happening in the U.S. on November 24th, 4 days after the convention, I had a very busy week and some bad allergies so, I didn't get a chance to talk about Super Megafest 2011 until now. Super Megafest is a smaller convention compared to the ones I attended in the past year. But as a wise Jedi once said, "Size matters not." As Super Megafest had a great guest list which included Patrick Stewart who made an appearance on Saturday. I didn't get to meet Captain Picard but for the lucky people who did meet him, they assured me that he's awesome and nice. Maybe I'll get to meet him at future conventions. I did get to meet Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee of Lord of the Rings) again. I first met him at the Museum of Science of Boston a while back. He autographed his book There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale and Rudy for me all those years ago. This time, I finally got my copy of The Goonies and the insert of Return of the King signed. I also chatted with him for a bit and was able to sneak in for a photo op. He's super nice and down to earth. It might not seem like much reading my testaments here about how nice the celebrities are but, once you get to meet a snarky and jaded celebrity you'll be more appreciative with the nice ones. I also met the man who donned the Sauron armor in Lord of the Rings, Sala Baker. We got to talking about how he wanted to play professional basketball but ended up being an actor. He was excited to be in Boston and wish he had more time to explore. He especially wanted to go to the Museum of Science. Alright MoS, my former employer, I'd plugged you a few times at the convention and on this blog. Where's my commission? At least send me some free stuff. I also got to shake hands with Jeremy Bulloch, the badass bounty hunter Boba Fett from Star Wars. Moments later, I realized I forgot to bring my Boba Fett Star Wars trading card for him to sign! WTF?! Ugh! EPIC FAIL! If I never get to see him again, this will haunt me for the rest of my life. I got Mickey's and Peter's autograph so far Peter Tork of the Monkees was there as well. He still has his humor and was very nice to his fans. He also played in the Saturday night concert with his current band, the Shoe Suede Blues. I'm not going to lie, my expectations for the Saturday night concert was very low and I was very wrong to expect that. I thought I'd made a mistake while waiting in line to get into the concert. For the most part, Super Megafest was well coordinated but, there were some hiccups and waiting for the concert was one of them. As I was waiting in line, I saw my cosplayer friends pile into the hotel bar and I was wondering if I should skip the concert. I heard a lot of yelling and laughing coming from the bar and was losing my patience with the wait to get into a concert that I didn't have high expectations for. I could be in the bar sharing silly shenanigans with my cosplayer friends! I was glad I waited though. Once the concert started it was fantastic from beginning to the end. My mind was blown as to how awesome it was. Yet, I still wanted to spend time at the bar though. Only if there were two of me. If only... More about the concert and Super Megafest after the "JUMP!"

Super Megafest 2011: Videos

Hello Youtubes! In this very special edition of "Hello Youtubes" I'm doing a shameless plug for myself! Hello and welcome to grog1138's channel. I went to Super Megafest during the weekend of November 19th - 20th in Framingham, MA. It was an awesome time and the cosplayers who attended raised that awesomeness to the nth power! Here's a few videos I captured of: The Costume Contest's early line up   Captain Jack Sparrows and the revolving door   R2D2, Kid Anakin, Kid Leia and the New Hampshire Ghostbusters.   The videos after the "JUMP" are of the Super Megafest concert on Saturday night. Peter Tork of the Monkees and his band Shoe Suede Blues were there that night performing their original blues and some of the Monkees' music. Sorry about the extra shaky cam. I'm new to video recording. Super Megafest 2011 - Costume Contest grog1138 Hulk won the contest. I wanted Blaster to win because he's a working boombox! Check out Two Face's coin flip. He never dropped the coin once. Super Megafest 2011 - Jack Sparrows Needs a Doc grog1138 Super Megafest 2011 - R2D2 with Kid Anakin and Kid Leia grog1138 Super Megafest 2011 - Power of the Force Ghostbusters grog1138 Super Megafest concert videos after the "JUMP!"

Apicarnage at Game Underground

Hello Youtubes! A follow up on Keith Apicary's USA tour: Apicarnage at Game Underground on September 18th, 2011 He wanted to call the tour "Cruisin USA" but couldn't clear the rights. Keith teamed up with fans at Turtles in Time and challenged them to Fatal Fury 2. He also gave insight on his family, told an interesting story about his dealings with G4, talked about his latest date at Papa Ginos and preformed his songs. He also called us a bunch of nerds. Well, guess what Keith? You're the nerd, Virtual Boy! Click on the "JUMP!" link for the videos:

Keith Apicary - Talking Classics

Hello Youtubes! This week on "Hello Youtubes!" let's talk classics. On a fateful day, while searching for Neo Geo game footage on youtube, I stumbled upon Keith Apicary's Talking Classics - Neo Geo video. The video showcases some video game nostalgia ridiculousness on the level of the Angry Video Game Nerd. Also, Keith Apicary reminds me of a certain super enthusiastic Neo Geo friend I have. The Neo Geo is a great system. I can't argue with you on that but, technology has moved on A... you know who you are... Anyway, Keith Apicary will be making an appearance at the Game Underground in Framingham, MA on Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 8pm as part of his tour. There is a $10 admission fee for the Keith Apicary show. Here's the link to the Game Underground Website: Game Underground Check out the Game Underground September Events Calender for more info (be sure to click on the 18th): Game Underground September Calender I'm pretty sure he'll be performing this: Neo Geo Music Video (Music by FantomenK) Talking Classics - Neo Geo Here's TalkingClassics's youtube channel and you can also find Keith Apicary on screwattack.com: TalkingClassics's Youtube Talking Classics screwattack.com

Hurricane Nostalgia

Hello Youtubes! As I watch the weather reports, I noticed that Hurricane Irene has a very similar path to Hurricane Gloria's back in 1985: Hurricane Gloria's Path Hurricane Irene on weather.com Strangely, this takes me back in time. Is this what they mean by seeing my life flash before my eyes? Hurricane Irene doesn't seem too bad (yet) in my area. Then again it blew the roof off my shed and my neighbor's power lines are down because of a huge falling branch. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my memories with you via youtube. Here are some old commercials I found that aired in the New England area: Whalom Park Robolar Click on the "JUMP!" link below for more nostalgic videos:

Zombie March New England

Hello Youtubes! This time on "Hello Youtubes!" I want to talk about a local Boston, MA event. There is an event that has been happening in the past 7 years in my city that I did not know about! The Zombie March has been happening for 7 years! 7 years! Being a huge zombie fan, I have no idea how I missed this the last 6 years. It's not like it's a small event. I'm talking about a huge horde of zombies. Miles of zombies and it disrupts (not complaining) the city of Boston for an entire day. I'm not talking about just one section of Boston. The march route starts from South Station. It goes through Downtown Crossing, Boston Commons, the Public Garden, Newbury St and to the Prudential. From there it goes through the Prudential Mall, back to Boston Commons and congregates at Government Center for a huge battle between the undead and the living. Miles of zombies! It's an amazing sight and loads of fun. There's no agenda or political subtext, it's just plain fun. The living dead were not the only ones marching. There were zombie hunters (Umbrella), survivors, Ghostbusters, super heroes and even Mr. T. Here's info on: Zombie March Boston VIII (2012) Be sure to click on "JUMP!" for more Undead goodness: