Some days are better than others. Other days are worse. Some days, you just want a palate cleansing. I'm in that kind of mood today. That makes today a great day to look back and revisit Yume's musical video, Polystyrene Dream.
The ethereal view still appeals to me, with the various and surreal imagery and wonderfully cadenced music. But then the jarring behavior of the characters is still just a little odd. Probably, no one knows what's really going on except Yume, but I still enjoy the trip into absurdity. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
Have you seen Gray? He didn't call in this morning. Last night, he said he was going out for some milk and now he's gone. "Going out for some milk" isn't a terrible euphemism, is it? Does anyone have his phone number? Moviewatch seriously needs him. Eh, whatever.
I'm Only Sleeping, a WoW/Beatles music video from Phixor2000, is not only is the winner of the GEE Machinima Award from the 2007 BitFilm Festival but is a video that surprisingly does the Beatles' I'm Still Sleeping justice, with a psychedelic vibe, semi-NSFW, sort-of-naked gnomes, and butterflies. I'm a huge Beatles fan, and personally love the crazy, creepy Beatles stuff from the late '60s, like the Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine. Also, I hold the controversial opinion that Octopus's Garden is not a terrible song, so hate me in the comments. You can't change my mind. It's not the best song, but Ringo tried really hard! And it's catchy.
Oh, right, the video. Phixor2000 captures the essence of the psychedelic period of the Beatles pretty damn perfectly with his Frozo-esque gnome experiencing Azeroth and beyond in ways we only wish were possible: frolicking gnomes, a metaphysical meeting with Aszhara and even Shivarra-inspired shenanigans. It's weird, and that makes it fun. Also, who doesn't want to start the day with some Beatles? Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
With Cataclysm slowly approaching, now's a good time to take another look at this worgen masterpiece by Gnomechewer. Gilnean Like Me tells the story of the Gilnean people against the backdrop of the Forsaken invasion. As a group of undead sets foot in town to follow up after a brutal bombardment, the group discovers the terrible curse that has been levied on Greymane's people.
This video is probably one of the most beautiful and stunning portrayals of Gilneas and its wolven fate. I like the sense of horror and stoic resolve portrayed by the narration, as well as the dark sense of inevitability. The moment when the protagonist "wolfs out" is incredibly satisfying; it's a suitable crescendo to the story's build-up. That kind of execution is rare, and my hat is off to Gnomechewer. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
I first featured this song a few months ago. WarLock is a collaboration piece by Cryssy, Sharm and Quixotica. It celebrates that most DoT-oriented class. At the time, there was a lot of hubbub about my use of "iconic" to describe Kesha. To be fair, I never said anything about whether I find that style of performance good or not; I only really said that if a person hears it, that person tends to think of Kesha.
But I'm especially glad for WarLock because whenever I hear the music from Tik-Tok, it's WarLock's lyrics that spring to mind. WarLock has completely eclipsed the original in my subconscious, so I get to have that little party dance with myself. It's the little victories that make life worth living.
Now is good timing to bring WarLock back up, because I hear Cryssy is working on a new project, so I hope to see that come to fruition soon. In the meantime, I'm just glad to have a few of Keisha's lyrics gone from my brain.
Edit: Fixed the spelling of Keisha. When spellcheck goes wild, right? Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
NSFW Warning: The refrain of the song includes the F-bomb, a bit of other cursing, as well as scantily clad pixels dancing.
In a PUG is one of Propostris's most popular pieces. It's scored over 100,000 page views since it was released in June 2009. As a parody of In da Club by 50 Cent, In a PUG attempts to recreate what Rolling Stone called "a spare yet irresistible synth hook augmented by a tongue-twisting refrain."
Propostris has been featured before with Ice Ice Baby. It's always great to see people continue creating new works, so I'll be curious to see how readers feel about this more seasoned piece. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
Haven't we all had that one special BFF with whom we play the game? And haven't we all had our hearts ripped out of our chests by that special BFF, in one way or another? Seems like Yumfries shares that experience. In Nub Tales ep.6.4: Jimmy and Joe (Best Frends), Yumfries explores that special dynamic between two friends who play WoW together -- especially when one of the friends is very annoying.
The Nub Tales series continues to be a lot of fun, and I'm impressed by how quickly Yumfries manages to pull these together. Each new episode is a treat and a nice way to speed up the day. Thanks, Yumfries! Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
Wowcrendor wins another round with How to Win At Cataclysm Beta. This time, the Sultan of Sarcasm examines the multi-layered culture of beta testers. Clearly, everyone who's currently rocking out in the beta were hand picked for their fine-tuned beta testing skill, right? Well, maybe not. And that's a huge part of Wowcrendor's point in this.
Wowcrendor's material is brilliant because he clearly loves the game and has an instinctual knack for reproducing community phenomena. It's a clear view from insider the community which helps to enrich his entire approach. Not to mention, the guy's funny. I'm pretty sure that helps, too.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
Among Fables and Men is by Dopefish. The entire video is a series of images conveyed with little sound and no voice acting. It's a five minute tour of bizarre and surreal images, with most of the actual story left to the viewer to create. Even at five minutes long, the video's brief time seems to fly by.
This video has received vast praise over the years since its release. It's easy to see why. Dopefish's work is imaginative and expansive. It's a brilliant piece. You can find its Warcraft Movies page here.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
Pinkhair nailed the vital essence of what Warsong Gulch should have been way back in September 2008. With custom models and a knack for comedy storytelling, Pinkhair's The Robber Baron of Warsong Gulch plays with some of the spaghetti western genre's favorite tropes.
Take a moment to kick back and relive this old movie, and see if you feel whether The Robber Baron feels dated at all. I don't think you'll feel any second of its age. That's because Pinkhair created something new and amazing from the game's graphics, wrapped around a familiar and fun story. It's these essential qualities that allows machinima to stand the test of time, and Pinkhair is a master of it. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
Oh look, it's me again. Looks like Gray came down with another case of the "feelin' fuzzies." He didn't look good when I saw him this morning in the WoW.com war room. Gangly and green and that other thing, with the grossness. Anyway. I'm sure he's fine. Probably related to that fan art issue ...
Gray has entrusted me with the monumental task of a very special Moviewatch rerun of the greatest paladin machinima ever created -- How to Paladin IX. Shepiwot is basically the greatest machinamator that the community has ever seen. Paladins are in the newsa lotthesepast few weeks, due to the cataclysmic (haw haw) changes to their class (again) so close to an expansion's release (again.)
Now, I don't fancy myself a great machinimator -- I made one once on a dare to make the worst best movie I could. Shepiwot makes my endeavor look like a children's finger painting class. Abstract, deep and thought-provoking, the How to Paladin series reaches deep into every paladin's heart and soul, revealing the motivations and machinations of truly being one with the class. When I close my eyes, I only see holy power. How to Paladin got me there. And it was good.Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
This is Alexstrasza by Sharm and Tyranno. Sharm did the singing, while Tyranno did the lyrics and the machinima. It's fairly obviously a parody of Lady Gaga's Alejandro, but this version takes a second to get rolling. I highly recommend taking the time to let it get started in earnest.
I just happened to be in the WoW.com war room when this video hit the internet, and I was able to collect some quotes from your intrepid WoW.com staff about Alexstrasza. In lieu of my usual blathering, I thought I might share those today:
Matt Low called it "the best thing since chopsticks," while Ziebart himself said, "I love it, it's hilarious." By comparison, Mathew McCurley said, "I went from hate you to love you almost weirdly fast." I think we were all struggling with initial Gaga-related revulsion, but couldn't help be won over by the good time parody. But I assure you that this song is insanely catchy, and it will stay with you. Robin closed, saying, "I really, really love that video."
Also, please welcome Deathwing to his first musical performance on Moviewatch. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
Not all WoW movies are machinima, music videos, or stories. Some are raid videos, some are PvP videos. There's a wide variety of available movies out there, even if we tend to focus on the machinima productions here. Icecrown Citadel: Way of the Warrior is an example of raid videos.
The movie is fairly straightforward; it's a stylized run through Icecrown Citadel. And while the material might be old hat for some people, movies like these are important to players who might never see the raid content. (For all that it's casual friend, if you don't have time to raid, you'll never see it except for movies like this.) I like seeings these videos from time to time because it shares the raiding experience.
You can see the second part at this location. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
I'm a sucker for song. I have the musical talent of a dead raccoon who's been baking on the road in the summer heat. But I do love listening to music and the beautiful poetry of verse. And while I do tend to prefer fresh folks or original crescendo music, I can still appreciate parody lyrics that are sung with skill. I think that's why A Void in My Heart by Jennisfar and its accompanying machinima by JoshuaIRL.
I really enjoy Jennisfar's singing and lyrics. Joshua's work with the video creates great counterpoints and enhancements to her lyrics, and the pair really just come together well. At the risk of starting a fight, I think Jennisfar and JoshuaIRL's choice for characters and locations are a nice breath of fresh air in the musical machinima scene.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
The Cataclysm expansion is coming. This is going to be game-changing event. It's actually very exciting. A lot of the old world has gotten stale, and I'm eager to see it refreshed. However, if there's one piece of community lore that I will hate to see rendered not-as-relevant, it's Darrowshire.
Darrowshire is a defining moment both for characters in game and also for the WoW filk community. Darrowshire is one of the best pieces of WoW music out there, and the video that goes with it matches its sorrowful, determined tone perfectly. I don't think the song will lose much power after the reconstruction of Azeroth, but I do hope people can still be exposed to this beautiful piece of art by Cranius. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
Wowcrendor is as irresistable as ever, and he's making a return to his tongue-in-cheek character roots with Gamon: The Untold Story. If you don't know the chap by name, Gamon is a Tauren who spawns in Orgrimmar. He is, in a sense, the Horde's third favorite punching bag. (The first two are gnomes and blood elves, respectively.)
Wowcrendor was inspired by this miscreant, and put together a brief machinima to tell the tale of the troubled Tauren. Take the time to check it out, and let us know what you think.
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
WoW: Cataclysm still on target for a 2010 release
Sep 2nd 2010 at 12:00PM 
Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at machinima@wow.com.
