Laughing Squid

Filmmaker Michael Tucker of Lessons from the Screenplay very astutely studies the Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright subtle zombie comedy film Shaun of the Dead, particularly pointing out how the entire story and all of the characters are built around the context of the underachieving everyman Shaun. Edgar Wright films are always full of flashy, fun style,...The post How the Zombie Comedy ‘Shaun of the Dead’ Builds a Contextual World Around the Protagonist of the Story appeared first on Laughing Squid.

For Halloween 2018, really creative dad Andrew Guy labored for several months in order to transform his young son Aiden’s bicycle into a fantastic silver Star Destroyer from Star Wars. This moving costume is equipped with lights and plays the “Imperial March” out of an embedded speaker. Inaugural test drive! After months of gluing and...The post Creative Father Transforms His Young Son’s Bicycle Into a Fantastic ‘Imperial March’ Playing Star Destroyer appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The enigmatic yet quite subdued Morrissey (formerly of The Smiths) covered the classic Pretenders song “Back on the Chain Gang” (with only a bit of word changes) as a bonus track for the deluxe edition of his 2017 album Low in High School. The accompanying sepia toned video calls back to a 1960s talk show...The post Morrissey Covers the Classic Pretenders Song ‘Back On the Chain Gang’ in a 1960s Style Showcase Video appeared first on Laughing Squid.

With the upcoming release of the Freddie Mercury biopic on November 2, 2018, the knowledgeable music essayist Polyphonic makes a beautiful introduction to an operatic Queen song that is lesser known than the one performed carside in Waynes World. The song, “Innuendo”, may not be as ubiquitous as “Bohemian Rhapsody”, but it is no less...The post The Sorrowful Beauty of ‘Innuendo’, the Lesser Known Musically Complex Operatic Anthem by Queen appeared first on Laughing Squid.

For Halloween 2018, craftsman Mike Warren a.k.a. “mikeasaurus” created a truly badass Ghost Rider mask complete with blinking LED eyes and working smoke effects. Warren show how he made the mask in an amazing timelapse, but for those of us who need to take things a bit slower, he also posted step-by-step instructions on Instructables....The post An Amazing 3D Printed Ghost Rider Mask Complete With Blinking LED Eyes and Working Smoke Effects appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In the short animated film “Hands”, filmmaker Jesper Lindborg has captured the tactile satisfaction that a pair of hands represent in various ASMR situations such as running fingers through sand, clapping while covered in glue and tangled up in ribbons. The film is beautifully accompanied with an original soundtrack by Mount Audio. The focus lay...The post A Short Film About the Playful Movement of Hands appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In 2015, we wrote about the short film “Covers” by German visual artist Henning M. Lederer who animated the geometric patterns of 55 vintage book covers. In 2017, Lederer followed up with “More Covers”, which featured animated vintage psychiatric books. In 2018, Lederer has returned with a third film of the series entitled “Even More...The post Even More Covers, A Short Film That Animates the Colorful Geometric Cover Art of 66 Vintage Books appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While appearing on the Howard Stern Show in May 2017, actor and comedian Jamie Foxx spoke about Quentin Tarantino‘s work ethic. Foxx took the opportunity to share a story about meeting that ethic head on. While filming Django Unchained, Tarantino had pulled Foxx aside to chastise him about his performance in a very distinctive voice,...The post Jamie Foxx Performs a Spot On Impression of Quentin Tarantino Chastising Him For Not Doing His Job Well appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a phasmid episode of The New York Times series ScienceTake from 2016, host James Gorman explains the fascinating mechanics behind the movement of stick insects and how this data was directly applied to a six-legged rescue robot named Hector. The hind legs provided most of the power pushing the insect forward. The middle legs...The post The Fascinating Study of How Stick Insects Walk appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Climate data scientist and interactive mapmaker Neil Kaye has brilliantly animated the difference between the size of countries represented on the Mercator Map and the true land layout of each country. Because the Mercator Map distorts land size in accordance with increased distance from the Equator, countries like Greenland, Russia, Canada and the United States...The post An Animated Mercator Projection That Reveals the Actual Size of Countries Around the World appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The very talented special effects artist Steve Richter created a brilliant replication of the villianous Toht, of the 1981 film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, out of crayons, clay and paint. After placing Toht’s glasses and hat on his sculpted head, Richter took an industrial heat gun and recreated the iconic...The post A Brilliant Recreation of the Iconic Face Melting Scene From ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A young man named David Mzee who lost the use of his legs due to injury, was given the chance to walk again with the amazing use of electrodes implanted into his spine. This implanted targeted neurotechnology doesn’t necessarily cause movement, rather they amplify the message being sent within the body. A combination of the...The post Man Who Lost the Use of His Legs Regains the Ability to Walk Due to Electrodes Implanted Into His Spine appeared first on Laughing Squid.

On Halloween night 2018, the LED screen at the top of the rather distinctive Salesforce Tower in San Francisco turned a bright orange before revealing a brilliant “Eye of Sauron”, the symbolic emblem of the iconic villain who appeared throughout The Lord of the Rings series. This remarkable event came about through a public petition...The post The San Francisco Salesforce Tower Turns Into the ‘Lord of the Rings’ Eye of Sauron on Halloween appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fabulous Duo of Doodles (@fabulous_doodle) on Oct 26, 2018 at 3:25am PDT Fabbe and Nisse are two absolutely adorable Goldendoodle brothers who seem to do everything together, made no exception when it came to Halloween. This doggie duo dressed as matching ghosts and knocked on at...The post Two Adorable Goldendoodle Dogs Dress Up as Matching Ghosts to Go Trick or Treating for Halloween appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amazing JIRO (@amazing_jiro) on Oct 28, 2018 at 3:28am PDT Participants in the annual Halloween parade that takes place in the city of Kawasaki in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan, like everywhere else, have the opportunity to dress up as their favorite characters. A very clever...The post Art Students Cleverly Dress Up as Famous Paintings For the Annual Halloween Parade in Kawasaki, Japan appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Davie504, the incredible bassist who is constantly performing in new and creative ways, responded to a viewer’s question about the notoriously difficult-to-play classical piece “Flight of the Bumblebee”. In his usual style, Davie responded by impressively playing it at lightning speed. Playing one of the hardest songs ever composed, “Flight of the Bumblebee”, on the...The post The Notoriously Difficult ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ Impressively Performed Lightning Fast on Bass Guitar appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a spooktacular 1933 Halloween episode of the classic animated series Betty Boop, a chilly scarecrow gets an invitation to a Halloween party at Ms. Boop’s home and heads on over to help her get ready. As she’s in the kitchen preparing pumpkins, the scarecrow is busy painting witches and cats on the wall. As...The post Betty Boop Busily Prepares Her Home For a Halloween Party With the Help of a Well Dressed Scarecrow appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In the fifth installment of his ongoing “Monsoon” series, photographer Mike Olbinski again employed his sharpened storm-chasing skills across the American west and southwest to create an absolutely stunning video that celebrates giant dust storms, intense lightning strikes, beautiful sunsets and even gorgeous green clouds spitting out copious pellets of hail. My original plan this...The post Monsoon V, The Stunning Beauty of the American West Summer Skies Captured in a Gorgeous Timelapse appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Darryl Cheng of The House Plant Journal (HPJ), posted a really amusing timelapse that shows exactly how what two very different, but equally beautiful houseplants do to occupy themselves during the day. This was made as part of a collaboration with Angus and Celeste, an Australian ceramic design company that specializes in planters. Cheng states...The post An Amusing Timelapse Showing How Two House Plants Occupy Themselves Over the Course of a Single Day appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a funerary lesson for Ted-Ed written by educator Keith Eggener and animated by Gerta Xhelo, narrator Adrian Dannatt quite elegantly explains how cemeteries came to be. He also spellbindingly tells about how the dead were laid to rest before cemeteries existed and what cemeteries look like now and what they might look like in...The post The Intricate History of How Cemeteries Came To Be appeared first on Laughing Squid.

German competitive kayaker Adrian Mattern impressively took a ride down a 110 foot waterfall at Alexandra Falls in the Northwest Territories of Canada. This fall is so challenging that only two other people have accomplished this same feat in the past, Ed Lucero and Tyler Bradt. Mattera was able to arrange for a drone to...The post Amazing Drone Footage of a Competitive Kayaker Successfully Riding Down a 110 Foot Waterfall appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Talented makeup artist Meaghan Ashley transforms a UCLA neuroscience student named Matthew Quigley into the fearsome, steely blue eyed Night King from the HBO series Game of Thrones. As she applied each piece of the costume, Ashley explains what she’s doing, why she’s doing it and what products she’s using, just in case a really...The post Makeup Artist Transforms a Cheerful UCLA Student Into the Steely Blue Eyed Night King From Game of Thrones appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Josh Sundquist (@joshsundquist) on Oct 26, 2018 at 7:44am PDT Josh Sundquist, a Paralympian, motivational speaker, comedian and author who lost one of his legs to cancer when he was young, partnered with legendary Disney illustrator (and fellow amputee) Broose Johnson and costume designer Jenny Newman...The post One Legged Paralympian Josh Sundquist Dresses as ‘Genie of the Lamp’ From ‘Aladdin’ for Halloween 2018 appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Cyriak Harris, the clever mind behind many creative films has created “RIP“, an oddly cheerful Halloween themed animaed video that features a surplus of silly skeletons dancing their little hearts out in a variety of different combinations. A spooky halloween extravaganza. Nightmares guaranteed. Related Laughing Squid PostsCyriak’s Bizarre Halloween CostumeMeow Mix Cat Music Video by...The post A Surplus of Silly Skeletons Dance Their Little Hearts Out in an Oddly Cheerful Halloween Video by Cyriak appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Hot 8 Brass Band from New Orleans recorded a truly badass version of the classic Joy Division song “Love Will Tear Us Apart” in that particular way that only a marching band can. The single from the album of the same name, is available for purchase. We’re bringing the love with our cover of “Love...The post New Orleans’ Hot 8 Brass Band Performs a Badass Cover of the Joy Division Song ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In 2007, the now tragically late singer Chris Cornell appeared on The Howard Stern Show and performed a haunting acoustic version of his iconic Soundgarden song “Black Hole Sun”. Before doing so, Cornell shared with host Stern how he wrote the song. Cornell stated that it was mostly written in his head while driving home....The post Chris Cornell Tells Howard Stern How He Wrote ‘Black Hole Sun’ Before Performing the Song Live in Studio appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A brilliantly illustrated episode of After Skool features the very timely words of comedian Bill Hicks from his “It’s Just a Ride” routine. Hicks compares life to a rollercoaster ride and in doing so laments about the unfairness of the world when good people die and bad people live on, how a nation of fear...The post A Brilliant Whiteboard Illustration of a 1992 Bill Hicks Commentary About Choosing Love Over Fear appeared first on Laughing Squid.

An absolutely adorable little girl in a pretty flowered dress named Maya went trick-or-treating around her neighborhood for Halloween in a fabulously creepy costume that required her to carry her head on a plate. The hollow place where her head should have been, served quite well as a receptacle for the Halloween candy. Maya’s mom...The post An Adorable Little Girl Creepily Carries Her Own Head on a Plate While Trick or Treating for Halloween appeared first on Laughing Squid.

On October 8, 2018, Fred Lyon, the legendary former LIFE Magazine photographer and author of San Francisco, Portrait of a City: 1940-1960 and San Francisco Noir, gave a talk at The Interval at Long Now. During the talk, the lifelong San Franciscan shared stories of the events, sights and people that were represented in his...The post 94 Year Old Former LIFE Magazine Photographer Fred Lyon Shares His Incredible Photos of San Francisco appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Kevin Chiam, a talented, thoughtful and problem solving designer in Singapore has created Folks Kitchenware, a really wonderful line of cooking tools for the blind and visually impaired so they can independently cook food safely, confidently and with dignity. The tools in the series include a knife with a retractable guard, a chopping board with...The post Thoughtful Designer Creates a Line of Cooking Tools for the Blind to Safely Prepare Food With Dignity appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a long awaited video, the very insightful CGP Grey provides an animated explanation about the ongoing battle between neighboring states New York and New Jersey regarding ownership of the Statue of Liberty and the island upon which she stands. In his usual thorough manner, Grey takes a look at the history of this oddly...The post The Ongoing Battle Between New York and New Jersey Over Who Rightfully Owns the Statue of Liberty appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a conflagrant episode of Things You Might Not Know, host Tom Scott explains exactly why fairly regular explosions occur underneath the manhole covers in London. Because he couldn’t demonstrate his theory within urban confines, he took it out to an open field where Darkstar Pyrotechnics set up similar conditions to create an explosion of...The post Tom Scott Explains Why the Manholes of London Explode by Creating a Big Explosion of His Own appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The aptly-titled Netflix documentary series Dogs takes a heartwarming look at the special bond that exists between humans and their beloved canines. Each episode of six goes inside one of these very special relationships and documents the lengths to which each will go for the other. These six intimate stories explore the abiding emotional bonds...The post A Heartwarming Netflix Docuseries About the Special Bond That Exists Between Humans and Their Dogs appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mike's Tiny Shop (@mikestinyshop) on Oct 21, 2018 at 11:28am PDT Cosplayer Mike Corrie of Mike’s Tiny Things in Martinsville, Indiana has created an incredibly detailed Star Wars AT-AT costume for his beautiful and rather tolerant horse Moana, so she could compete in the costume event...The post Creative Cosplayer Builds Incredible Star Wars AT-AT Costume for His Wonderfully Tolerant Horse appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Since its inception in 1995, the Denver Airport has had a reputation for being a bit supernatural due to the due to their unusual (and somewhat spooky) murals, statues and gargoyles that lined the walls and entrances. And with unusual comes lots of conspiracy theories. Rather than fight them off, however, the airport has fully...The post The Denver Airport Fully Embraces Every Conspiracy Theory About Them While Undergoing Renovation appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A hilarious Bad Lip Reading of highlights from the 2018 Major League Baseball season. Related Laughing Squid PostsA Hilarious Compilation of Bad Lip Reading From the NFL 2016-2017 Football SeasonA Hilarious Compilation Bad Lip Reading From the NFL 2015-2016 Football Season – Part OneA Hilarious Compilation of Bad Lip Reading From the NFL 2015-2016 Football...The post A Hilarious Bad Lip Reading of Major League Baseball appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In the third episode of the excellent BBC Two series Black is the New Hollywood, actor John Boyega opens up about the meeting during which he found out he got the role of Finn, the former Stormtrooper who joins up with the Resistance in Star Wars. Boyega shared that he was just hanging out with...The post Actor John Boyega Opens Up About How J.J. Abrams Told Him That He Got the Role as Finn in Star Wars appeared first on Laughing Squid.

“Light Duel” by the very talented Darren Pearson is a very short, long exposure, stop-motion battle made of 300 photographs that have been hand painted with light, much like his previous works. The duel was brief as the very human Astro Bandit took down the skeletal Shiny Bone Jones with a single shot. Pearson also...The post Light Duel, A Light Painted Stop Motion Skeletal Cowboy Faces a Badass Cowgirl in a Shootout appeared first on Laughing Squid.

On a Halloween-themed episode of her talk show Ellen, host Ellen DeGeneres put some very funny (and punny) finishing touches on creative Halloween costumes that were modeled by some very amusing kids. Included in the mix were a Nicki Minaj costume that included the shoe that Cardi B threw, a scooter riding bird and a “Star...The post Ellen Puts Some Very Funny (and Punny) Finishing Touches on Kids’ Halloween Costumes appeared first on Laughing Squid.

An adorable three-year old named Holly Lee, who was clad in pink and sitting in her car seat, gleefully belted out the lyrics to the iconic Queen song “Bohemian Rhapsody” in anticipation of the Freddie Mercury film of the same name. While Holly performed the song in its entirety, she did so with a bit...The post An Adorable Three Year Old Girl Belts Out the Lyrics to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ While Sitting in Her Car Seat appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A silly little cat who was parked on the stage at the Esmod International Fashion Show in Istanbul, Turkey, finished cleaning up before trying to engage with models strolling down the catwalk. When attempts at play failed, the perfectly coordinating feline decided instead to show the models how a real “cat-walk” is done. via reddit...The post A Coordinating Cat Walks Like a Model Down the Catwalk at an International Fashion Show in Istanbul appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While promoting 100% Fresh, his upcoming comedy special on Netflix, comedian Adam Sandler performed a very funny rap about always remembering his “Phone Wallet Keys” whenever he goes out, the ubiquitous checklist for the modern age. From “Heroes” to “Ice Cream Ladies” — Adam Sandler’s comedy special hits you with new songs and jokes in...The post Adam Sandler Raps About His ‘Phone Wallet Keys’ in Promo for His Netflix Comedy Special ‘100% Fresh’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

An eagle wearing a GoPro HERO7 camera took flight over a crowded Estadio Azteca stadium in the Santa Úrsula neighborhood in Mexico City, which was packed with cheering football (soccer) fans. This wonderful demonstration showcased the “hypersmooth” predictive stabilization features of their newest camera. Hyper smooth video stabilization — get gimbal like stabilization-without the gimbal....The post An Eagle Wearing a GoPro Camera Takes Flight Over a Crowded Stadium Packed With Cheering Soccer Fans appeared first on Laughing Squid.

redditor jesusgains posted a wonderful illusory photo of a bright eyed black cat who was looking at a camera with an upturned face appearing to be a member of another species, more specifically a big black bird. A reverse image search identifies the cat as an American crow. Google reverse image search says… not just...The post A Giant Crow Takes the Place of the Family Cat appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Jamie Dupuis is a remarkably talented musician who performs absolutely gorgeous cover versions of classic rock songs with his acoustic harp guitar, added to his repetoire a stunning cover version of the Rolling Stones song “Paint It Black” played on a gorgeous carbon fiber Emerald Harp Guitar. Related Laughing Squid PostsGorgeous Acoustic Versions of Classic...The post A Stunning Cover of the Rolling Stones Song ‘Paint It Black’ Played on a Gorgeous Carbon Fiber Harp Guitar appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by pauljacksonlives (@pauljacksonlives) on Oct 4, 2017 at 10:24am PDT Artist Paul Jackson, who describes himself as a full-time daydreamer and his work as “the weirder, the better” and who has previously created startling ink illustrations of animal skeletons escaping their bodies, has created a brilliant full...The post A Brilliant Color Print of Ellen Ripley’s Brain Being Squeezed by an ‘Alien’ Facehugger appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Squishy And Rosy (@cityturtles) on Mar 11, 2018 at 11:36am PDT Squishy and Rosy are two adorable, very photogenic little turtles who live in New York City with their crafting, photographer human Brittney. These good natured terrapins don’t mind modeling with tiny accessories such as knitted...The post Squishy and Rosy, Two City Dwelling Photogenic Turtles Who Model Handmade Miniature Accessories appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a heartwarming animation entitled “OK Google” by Brett Gaylor and Darren Pasemko, an amused father finds a year’s worth of his five year old son Rowan’s questions to Google Home. Many of the questions were typical of a frustrated youngster, but overall his father found that his son was on the right track with...The post A Loving Father Discovers a Year’s Worth of His Five Year Old Son’s Wonderful Questions to Google Home appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a Halloween-themed episode, the fast talking doodling music theorist and musician 12tone took a detailed look at why distortion is so spooky. He offers an excellent explanation of sound shapes, a history of early amplifiers and how distortion is created out of inharmonic overtones, which are additional frequencies that are piled onto artificial sound...The post How the Spooky Sound of Distortion Is Created by Putting Artificial Caps on Emitted Sound Waves appeared first on Laughing Squid.

As part of the autumn season celebration, caretakers at the Oregon Zoo set out a giant pumpkin for Dozer, the African spurred (sulcata) tortoise to crack open and enjoy. Which he happily did, much in the same manner in which his elephant neighbors squished squash during the previous week. Dozer the sulcata tortoise thoroughly enjoyed...The post A Determined African Spurred Tortoise Cracks Open a Giant Pumpkin to Enjoy the Sweet Fruit Inside appeared first on Laughing Squid.