'Indie Game: The Movie' Turning Heads at Sundance

The crowd funded "Indie Game: The Movie", a film following non-corporate video game developers, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this week. Apparently it's very, very good. Early reviews of the film are excellent, and it even won the award for "Best Editing" at the festival. Production of the movie would not have been possible without the support of the online gaming community. The team behind the film had run two separate Kickstarter campaigns, easily surpassing their goals each time. It's unlikely that you'll ever see this in a theatre near you, but you can pre-order right now for 30 bucks. It will be available later this year on DVD, digital download, and possibly Blu-Ray. We at Hex19.com have been looking forward to the film for a while, and we can't wait to see it.

(via Joystiq)

Short Film 'Archetype' Explores Robotic Rebellion

Although it's not an entirely original concept, Archetype, a new short film independently shot by Aaron Sims, is still an innovative take on robots turning against their human creators. It features some really great art in the design of landscapes, vehicles and robotics. The film also does a great job of combining CG effects with great live action performances. My only complaint of the film is that it feels more like an extended trailer, and leaves me wanting more. Aaron Sims did base the film on a concept he has for a feature film, so there is hope that this won't be the last we'll see of Archetype. If you enjoyed Archetype, make sure to "like" it on YouTube and share it with your fellow geeks so Sims can realize his vision and show us the rest of this awesome universe.

Netflix Replacing Chief Marketing Officer

Netflix has announced that they are searching for a new Chief Marketing Officer, after Leslie Kilgore vacated the position. Netflix was involved in some of the worst marketing mistakes in recent memory last year. The DVD by mail and online streaming company outraged customers with drastic price increases, and showed it had no idea what it was doing when it decided to spin-off part of their business into a new company called Qwikster, before swiftly abandoning the entire idea. For these reasons, Netflix is actually nominated for "Fail of the Year" at next week's Hex19 Awards.

Some aspects of the marketing strategy at Netflix have been very positive. The company has been a front runner in sponsoring new media projects, like podcasts and web series. I hope that whoever inherits the CMO position continues to place an emphasis on internet based advertising.

(via Engadget)

The Only Three 2012 Golden Globe Victories Worth Noting

As we continue our adventures into the new horizons of 2012, it's that time again popular culture to pick its favorites. With video games receiving their "official" recognition over a month ago, we turn our attention to the rest of entertainment. However, with 41 days still to go until the show we really care about, we geeks will have to make do with next best thing: The Golden Globes.

Last night, Ricky Gervais took the stage once again to host a star-bangled night of mediocrity. To be honest, I only watched enough to catch a couple of the winners. As interesting as it was to see Matt LeBlanc with grey hair, along with a tribute to Morgan Freeman's entire filmography, I just couldn't get passed the lame jokes and Ricky Gervais's continual bleeping. Plus, I can't even begin to understand the absence of Breaking Bad. In it's best season! So to save you the trouble of research or navigating that PVR of yours, here's the only three golden globe victories really worth caring about. 

Click to read more ...

Inception: The Card Game?

China - a land of over a billion potential Inception fans and some of the most lenient copyright laws on earth. It was these conditions that allowed for the creation of one of the most bizarre card games I've ever seen. Unoriginally titled "Inception", the game allows players to compete as extractors and marks across 5 levels of dreams, including limbo. Playable characters include all of your favorites from the film, including Cobb, Arthur and Saito. But why limit the fun to Nolan's Inception universe? Dark Knight's Joker, Avatar's Aang, Ezio Auditore and Nicholas Cage in Lord of War are among the other player cards. If we ever spot this in a Canadian game store (which we never will), we'll be sure to pick it up and give you a full review on The Hex19 Geekcast. Check out more photos after the break, and head over to Imgur to view the entire set.

(via Reddit user captainersatz) 

Click to read more ...

Ghost Protocol Soundtrack as Funny as the Film

I recently had the chance to see Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. I thoroughly enjoyed the film; you can find my full review in last week's Hex19 Geekcast. One aspect that enhanced the movie for me was Michael Giacchino's score. I decided to seek out the official soundtrack of the film, and I was pleasantly surprised by all of the track names. It turns out that the track listing shares Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol's sense of humor. The names of each theme had me laughing as much as Simon Pegg's performance in the film! Check out the full list after the break.

(via CD Universe)

Click to read more ...