REVIEW: Keanu Reeve’s Matrix Resurrections Movie Trailer Promises Stylish Production and Plenty of Action to Come

It was inevitable that with the exponential success of Keanu Reeves “John Wick” movie series, someone in Hollywood would decide that now is the perfect time to re-launch him in the Matrix movie series. In the Matrix, audiences were blown away not just by the movie making technique and special effects, but also by the mind-bending story premise that we are all living in a virtual computer simulation. What was worse was that the simulation was run by robots who had conquered the human race and used our brains for computing power.

The Matrix ran for three movies, and sort of lost firepower progressively. The last one was definitely considered “Meh” by many people.

The good news is that the Matrix 4 trailer for “The Matrix Resurrections” seems to be making up completely for that decline in quality. It is tight, it is intriguing, it is action packed, and it is cohesive. Did we say there’s action in it? Yes, apparently a lot. There are new players and new characters, as well as some very familiar faces like Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity. Not to mention, a ‘Young Mobius’ avatar filling in for Laurence Fishburn (apparently Laurence was not invited to be in this production). Keanu even looks age-appropriate.

Other talent includes Neil Patrick Harris (“Gone Girl”), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (TV’s “Quantico,”), Christina Ricci (TV’s “Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story,” “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles”), Telma Hopkins (TV’s “Dead to Me,”), Eréndira Ibarra (series “Sense8,” “Ingobernable”), Toby Onwumere (TV’s “Empire”), Max Riemelt (series “Sense8”), Brian J. Smith (series “Sense8,” “Treadstone”), and Jada Pinkett Smith (“Angel Has Fallen,” TV’s “Gotham”).

All we have to say is if filmmaker Lana Wachowski’s “The Matrix Resurrections” delivers at least 75% of what the trailer promises, then “We Are Here For It.”

PRODUCTION:
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, In Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, In Association with Venus Castina Productions, “The Matrix Resurrections.”

Need Bigger Sharks? Sea Monster Cove Gets you Nose-to-Nose with a 25-Ton Prehistoric Shark

If you enjoyed the Megalodon-sized thrills in bestselling author Steve Alten’s The MEG (which Warner Brothers turned into a blockbuster movie), imagine becoming part of the action yourself. Sea Monster Cove immerses visitors in an interactive multimedia experience where prehistoric sharks and other massive sea creatures are anything but ancient history.

Steve Alten, author of the NY Times bestselling MEG series, has created a world like no other. He says that Sea Monster Cove is a revolutionary multimedia entertainment concept that combines virtual reality, a web TV series, a video game and learning platform into one interactive site.

The Sea Monster Cove website of Alten’s imagination is a spectacular, five-star aquarium-themed resort located on Maug, a remote (and very real) island in the Western Pacific. Maug‘s volcano erupted 5 million years ago; today all that remains are three uninhabited islets that had been the volcano’s rim and a flooded magma chamber that serves as its lagoon.

Why place a virtual island resort here? That’s where Alten’s research and storytelling takes over. Eight years ago, a French marine biologist, Dr. Maxime Rostand discovered superheated mineral water rising up through Maug’s lagoon. Through a series of events, including an emergency C-section which saved two pups of a deceased pregnant prehistoric Mako shark, Rostand discovers the source of the hot mineral water to be a primordial aquifer located 2 miles beneath the sea floor — its inhabitants dating back 380 million years.

Having established the backstory about how these terrifying creatures managed to escape extinction (the “home videos” of the two surviving pups growing up is MUST-SEE), it’s time to meet and interact with the critters. Imagine the greatest aquarium-themed park ever conceived, holding the most terrifying prehistoric sharks and sea monsters that ever lived. It’s not hard to do.

At Sea Monster Cove, the special effects are motion picture-worthy, and the wildlife doesn’t just swim around in benign circles; in fact, they seem quite aware that you are watching them, and they clearly do not like it, especially when you enter their domain to do a little “cage diving.” In each of these heart-pounding, 360-degree experiences, the user controls the viewing angle, attempting to track the attacks as they happen (there are day and night versions available). The action is nonstop and the creatures so real that it is easy to lose yourself in a two-hour reprieve from reality.

The adventure is retold and advanced in Alten’s original episodic web TV series, Where Sea Monsters Roam (available to website members). Most unique: what happens in the series also happens during your aquarium visits. As an example, if Snowflake, the park’s 63-foot, 25-ton prehistoric albino Mako drags a crane into her tank in the opening episode, don’t be surprised to see it lying on the bottom on your next visit!

In addition to visiting the sharks and sea monsters, members will soon be able to experience what it’s like to venture into the prehistoric aquifer in a hunter sub and capture them in a Sea Monsters Roam video game. There’s also an education center, and a private library offering enhanced versions of Alten’s novels as well as teacher curriculum materials for distance learning.

One of the most popular features may just turn out to be CELEBRITY CAMEOS — the first one featuring James “Murr” Murray, one of the stars of TV’s Impractical Jokers. Murr, whose new novel, DON’T MOVE (Blackstone Publishing, co-written by Darren Wearmouth) debuts October 20, claims he and his bride, Melyssa stopped by Maug Island on their way home from their honeymoon to visit Sea Monster Cove when things “got out of hand.”

On another note, the MEG sequel, MEG-2: The TRENCH, is in pre-production, as is The LOCH (a thriller about the Loch Ness Monster) along with one other underwater feature, which cannot be announced just yet (but the enhanced version of the novel is available in the website’s private library). Steve Alten is also the founder and director of the nonprofit Adopt-an-Author teen reading program, considered by many educators to be the most effective tool to get reluctant readers to read.

For more information, visit www.seamonstercove.com

Madame Tussauds San Francisco Unveils Virtual Reality Adventure Experience

The Virtual Room at Madame Tussauds San Francisco

Madame Tussauds San Francisco unveils a new interactive live experience for visitors to “Be a Hero” in the city’s first team-based virtual reality (VR) adventure.

The year is 2217. A team of time-travelers have disappeared and a temporal rift has been detected in the past, risking humanity’s disappearance from the Earth – forever. The mission: save Earth from its dystopian future. Journey through history to solve puzzles and challenges. Unlock the secrets of Ancient Egypt. Repair the moon lander. Fight dinosaurs before they hunt you down. Dive to the bottom of ocean. All of this to correct the mistakes of the past before it destroys life as we know it. Each player will have his/ her own dedicated room, specifically designed and equipped with the latest virtual reality gear.

Developed in partnership with Virtual Room USA, the collaborative virtual reality experience allows groups of 2-4 people to participate in up to four 15-minute timed challenges all while communicating with their teammates.

The Virtual Room is a separately priced attraction from Madame Tussauds with tickets from just $10. The experience is designed for players ages 12 years and up and perfect for groups of friends, family, team-building, birthday parties and more.

ABOUT MADAME TUSSAUDS SAN FRANCISCO

Welcoming a fabulous 10 million guests though our world-famous doors every year, Madame Tussauds gives you the chance to experience the ULTIMATE fame experience. We have nearly 25 unique locations around the world, from New York to Shanghai, Amsterdam to Sydney – and, of course, London, where the story began. Throughout our 250+ year history, Madame Tussauds has brought to life thousands of celebs, stars and heroes – in mind-blowingly accurate detail – giving visitors the opportunity to brush shoulders with their idols and LITERALLY reach for the stars! Truly immerse yourself in our famous worlds and get a taste of life of the rich and famous, as in 2018, the opportunity to become the star continues! Through a combination of our historic artistic methods (that date back centuries, by the way!), immersive sets and pioneering modern tech – guests can experience fame and get closer to the action like never before. Madame Tussauds San Francisco opens daily at 10 a.m., 365 days a year and is located on Fisherman’s Wharf at 145 Jefferson Street. Find on Facebook: @MadameTussaudsSanFrancisco and Instagram and Twitter: @TussaudsSF.

9th Annual TASTE Awards Finalists Nominees Announced

taste awards medal

The 9th Annual TASTE AWARDS are proud to announce

The General Finalist Nominees, and Viewers Choice Finalist Nominees.

Award Winners of selected categories will be announced in February 2018, and along with the remaining award winners including Viewers Choice  categories receive their honors in late March 2018 at a Red Carpet Awards celebration in Los Angeles.

The Red Carpet awards event featured a star-studded lineup of food and fashion TV celebrities, including winners, nominees and presenters.

More details at www.TheTasteAwards.com

celebrities, including winners, nominees and presenters.

SEE BELOW THE GENERAL AWARD CATEGORY FINALISTS, and VIEWERS CHOICE FINALISTS.

Finalists and Honorees are selected primarily from work and content broadcast between October 2016 and October 2017, including public and media screenings.

GENERAL CATEGORY AWARD NOMINEES

BEST DRINK OR BEVERAGE PROGRAM ONLINE

Broadway Bartender
Papermeal Series Two
Wine for Normal People
Wine Oh TV

BEST DRINK OR BEVERAGE PROGRAM ON TELEVISION

Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party
The 3 Julias on 30A Television
Wine Oh TV

BEST FOOD PROGRAM: TELEVISION

Ellie’s Real Good Food
Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen Cooking Show & Lifestyle Series
Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party
Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking
P. Allen Smith’s – Garden Style
Simply Ming
The Urban Vegetarian
Top Chef Season 14

BEST REALITY SERIES

Cheryls Home Cooking
Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party
SCRAPS
The Wiseguy Kitchen Show
Top Chef Canada

BEST CHEF IN A SERIES

A Queen In The Kitchen
Andrew Zimmern Cooks
Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen Cooking Show & Lifestyle Series
Kitchen 90210
Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking
Simply Ming

BEST FOOD TRAVEL SERIES TELEVISION

Food Markets – Palermo / Ballarò
I Hart Food
Lucky Chow
Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking
SCRAPS
The Zimmern List
Twice As Good

BEST FASHION FILM

Herod’s Daughter
Little Stories
Proclamation Punctuation
Teatime Ponderer
The Flower Of Life

FerraraFlame-Logo-InvertWhite-1

FERRARA FLAME AWARD FOR BEST BRANDED CONTENT

Caroline Artiss – Simply Beautiful Food
Gather Here
Growing a Greener World
Killian Wells – Blue Dream (Presented by Xyrena)
Model Diaries
Ms. Candy Blog
P. Allen Smith’s – Homegrown Seed Collection
The Navigator’s Table, Series 2

FerraraFlame-Logo-InvertWhite-1FERRARA FLAME AWARD FOR BEST CITY OR REGIONAL PROGRAM

Living with Phyllis “THE MO’ JAZZ FEST”
Louisiana Eats: Stories From The Back Of The House
The Oyster Farmers
Top Chef Season 14
Twice As Good

BEST GREEN OR ORGANIC PROGRAM, SERIES OR FILM

Food Markets – Palermo / Ballarò
Growing a Greener World
Healthy Voyager TV
Jazzy Vegetarian
SCRAPS
The Oyster Farmers
Wasted! The Story of Food Waste

BEST NEW SERIES

Baking with Toddlers
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
Gown and Out in Beverly Hills
hot for food
I Hart Food
Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen Cooking Show & Lifestyle Series
The Feast Podcast
The Latin Kitchen
The Urban Vegetarian
Weekends with Yankee

BEST SINGLE TOPIC SERIES

A Queen In The Kitchen
Baking with Toddlers
California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon
Entertaining with Beth
Food Markets – Palermo / Ballarò
Kitchen 90210
P. Allen Smith’s – Garden Style
Recipes for a Sweet Life/ Julia M Usher’s YouTube Channel
Wine Oh TV

BEST TRAVEL PROGRAM

Curious Traveler
Eat Like a Local with Kelley Ferro
Food Markets – Palermo / Ballarò
Healthy Voyager TV
Lucky Chow
Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking
SCRAPS
Strictly Dumpling
The Navigator’s Table, Series 2
Twice As Good
Weekends with Yankee

BEST PODCAST

All in the Industry (Heritage Radio Network)
California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
Connoisseur’s Corner with Jordan Rich
Earth Eats
Kitchen Chat – The Chew’s Carla Hall
The Feast Podcast
Wine for Normal People
Wine Road Podcast — The Wine, When, and Where of Northern Sonoma County

BEST KIDS PROGRAMS, FILMS OR DOCUMENTARIES

Baking with Toddlers
Kitchen Little
Masha Time!
Smartee Plate: Teddy Finds Her Balance
Twice As Good

BEST INSTRUCTIONAL WEB SERIES

A Queen In The Kitchen
Broadway Bartender
Caroline Artiss – Simply Beautiful Food
P. Allen Smith’s – Homegrown Seed Collection
Recipes for a Sweet Life/ Julia M Usher’s YouTube Channel
Struggle Meals
The Edgy Veg
The Trailer Park Cooking Show With Jolene Sugarbaker

BEST INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM

A is for Apple
Curious Traveler
Eat Like a Local with Kelley Ferro
Fish the Dish
One World Kitchen
The Latin Kitchen
The Urban Vegetarian
Top Chef Canada
Vincenzo’s Plate

BEST HEALTH & FITNESS PROGRAM (Food & Diet)

Ellie’s Real Good Food
Healthy Voyager TV
hot for food
Jazzy Vegetarian
P. Allen Smith’s – Garden Style
Smartee Plate: Teddy Finds Her Balance
Un-Inflame Me: Reversing the American Diet & Lifestyle

“OFFICIAL SELECTION”: BEST FEATURE-LENGTH FILM OR DOCUMENTARY

42 Grams (a documentary film)
Craving Cuba
Family Meal
La Revolution du Rose: How a Ridiculed Wine Became a Winner
Michelin Stars — Tales From the Kitchen
New Chefs on the Block
The Oyster Farmers
This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous
Wasted! The Story of Food Waste

“OFFICIAL SELECTION”: BEST SHORT FILM OR DOCUMENTARY

A madman in the kitchen
BaseBallet
Dashi Journey
Euphoria- Indescribable adventure
Forgotten Seconds
Hey Chef Where Is Your Home?
Lemonade Mafia
Run Mama Run
The Hammer
The Human Face

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAM, SERIES OR FILM

A madman in the kitchen
Craving Cuba
Food Markets – Palermo / Ballarò
Michelin Stars — Tales From the Kitchen
Salade, Tomates, Rognons

VIEWERS CHOICE AWARD NOMINEES

BEST FOOD PROGRAM – ONLINE/STREAMING

A Queen In The Kitchen
Andrew Zimmern Cooks
Entertaining with Beth
Louisiana Eats: Stories From The Back Of The House
Recipes for a Sweet Life/ Julia M Usher’s YouTube Channel
Strictly Dumpling
Kitchen Chat – The Chew’s Carla Hall
The Edgy Veg
The Feast Podcast
The Trailer Park Cooking Show With Jolene Sugarbaker

BEST HOME CHEF IN A SERIES

Cheryls Home Cooking
Entertaining with Beth
hot for food
Jazzy Vegetarian
The Edgy Veg
The Topless Baker (Matt Adlard)
The Trailer Park Cooking Show With Jolene Sugarbaker
Vincenzo’s Plate

BEST FOOD TRAVEL SERIES ONLINE

Caroline Artiss – Simply Beautiful Food
Eat Like a Local with Kelley Ferro
Food To Die For
Healthy Voyager TV
Strictly Dumpling
The Brindiamo! Guide
The Navigator’s Table, Series 2

BEST RADIO BROADCAST

California Wine Country with Steve Jaxon
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
Connoisseur’s Corner with Jordan Rich
Earth Eats
Louisiana Eats: Stories From The Back Of The House
Ms. Candy Blog

BEST COMEDY

Baking with Toddlers
Masha Time!
Playing House (Season 3, USA Network)
The 3 Julias on 30A Television
The Trailer Park Cooking Show With Jolene Sugarbaker

360 Degree Food Festival: Eat Drink SF

Going to a food festival is always a great opportunity. Being able to test a new type of camera while there is basically icing on the cake. In this case, it was the Insta360 Nano. The Insta360 shoots pictures and HD video in 360 degrees. The images can be used in Virtual Reality (VR) goggles, as well as on sites such as YouTube.

A food festival like Eat Drink SF is the perfect place, because you have a wide variety of food and drink, and lot of people and places to capture.

We set up our camera at various partner tables around the event, and produced short 30 second 360 degree videos from each. The quality of the initial videos were impressive, although we have to admit that after editing, export, and upload to YouTube they did lose a fair amount of resolution.

If you couldn’t go, or even if you could, take a look at what we saw.

In the spotlight:

  1. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: REBBL
  2. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: Fine Cooking Magazine
  3. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: Blue Diamond, Almond Breeze
  4. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: Temple Rye
  5. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: China Live and Lillet
  6. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: Don Julio
  7. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: (name?)
  8. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: Tratto
  9. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: Lillet
  10. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: Mixologists
  11. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: House Spirits Distillery
  12. 360 View of Eat Drink SF: Blue Stem Brasserie

ABOUT EAT DRINK SF:
San Francisco’s premier food, wine, beer, and spirits festival. Eat Drink SF (fka SF Chefs) returns for its 9th year to celebrate the Bay Area’s world-class culinary community. The festival is four days of delicious events featuring our four signature Grand Tasting experiences that highlight 160+ restaurants and 70+ breweries, wineries, and distilleries throughout the weekend. Guests meet the area’s top chefs, taste their way through more than 35 creative bites from restaurants around the Bay Area (each Grand Tasting features different restaurants), enjoy unlimited pours of wine, beer, and cocktails, learn about wine in the SF Wine School’s classroom, watch demonstrations on the main stage, play giant lawn games in our Backyard Bites zone, and be part of this quintessentially San Francisco celebration of flavor.

4 Luxury Tech Gifts for the Geek in Your Life

Holidays, Birthday, Special Occasions. We’ve picked out four great Luxury Tech Gifts for the Geek in Your Life.

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