Wise Words

When my friend told me that Baz Luhrmann had released a single I small smile spread across my face.

When I checked it out on you tube the smile widened to a contented grin.

What's quite refreshing to me is that it doesn't feel like any of his films. This isn't a case of "Baz Luhrmann, in music form". It's something new entirely.

They are first and foremost, wise words coming from a rather wise sounding speaker- he sounds old- and they avoid sounding preachy thanks to just the right amount of humour.

Next of course there's the animation which I feel is best described as a nice combination of quaint and familiar.

Then there is the music which gives it all a nice a poignant feel.

And with the seemingly irrelevant "bookends" so to speak regarding sunscreen this music video is given a rather clever little beginning and end.

Tedious But Cool

This little music video encapsulates my feelings on animation; tedious to execute and brilliant to watch in conjunction with music and in moderation. At one minute fifty five seconds and with one hell of a tune over the top it already has the makings of something tasty.

What really jumps out at me though (and I'm sure this goes for most people) is the fact that this animation screams out to the viewer the level of tedium involved in it's making and for that matter the tedium present in all forms of animation! Michel Gondry the man behind this video is a patient man, as well as a multi talented one; he's also responsible for films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind and a whole plethora of music videos and short films

We Are All Amoral!

We all deserve to go to Hell!

Well not all of us, only most of the people that watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and that includes me.

Why? Because (and only read on if you don't mind me spoiling the ending) we warm to murdering highwaymen.

Still perplexed? Yeah o.k I'll explain....

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a Western about a good ol' gang of highwaymen and as the film develops, about the two ringleaders; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They are the film's protagonists and put simply the film follows them from the Wild West to Bolivia as they kill and steal everything in sight for a little money.

Throughout the film one grows to love these two rogues as they are both rather slick characters and kinda nice (aside from the killing and stealing). So when it is indicated that they die at the end of film one does feel a little sad!

Then I woke myself up and reminded myself that in the real world these two characters are the lowest of the low, and what makes it even worse is that I expect the vast majority of viewers of this film developed feelings similar to mine!

Yes we are horrible horrible people who like villains because they are cool and look good.

Cell Shading

The clip from the below game, Jet Set Radio Future, really changed my stance on computer games. Computer games will still always be about gameplay and how addictive they are but it's games like these that put a real emphasis on the visual side of things and make games more than just another mindless high.



This game, which is the sequel to the infamous Jet Set Radio on Dreamcast, employs a very clever graphics technique known as cell shading. This mimics traditional comics such as Marvel and DC by outlining shapes in black and making the colours highly saturated. This ties in well with the fact that this game is all about spraying graffiti over Tokyo!

Lebowski Narration

The Big Labowski by the Coen Brothers only has a little narration, but it goes a long way.

Here Sam Elliot is an unbiased narrator who doesn't in fact say a lot. In fact he's quite human and although that may sound like a rather strange point to make, I make it for my own highly relevant reason; all too often narrators are rather like robots, all they do is boom down from on high in an emotionless, godlike manner. No, sam is one of the people and with quotes such as "say friend, ya got any more a that good sarsaparilla?" (directed at the barman) and "now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from".

Hey despite being a old moustached redneck, I can relate to him a hell of a lot more than one's average narrator.

This Is An Exception...

In a previous post I mentioned my reasons for not being mad keen on long Animations due to their ability to make fantasy become mundane after a short wile.

Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki in the exception that proves the rule.

The reason why this film works for me is because it is completely and utterly wacky to such an an extent that for me it never ceases to amaze. When I watch the vast majority of animations I loose touch with their surreal appeal after a short wile due to me simply becoming accustomed to it and it becoming my reality. This film is a whole different kettle of fish. Every single minute of this film is packed with such abnormality and such surprise that it keeps one in a constant sense of wonder. One feels like a child again as the pretty colours and flamboyant characters leap out from all angles.

Never has the annoyingly contradictory yet in this case remarkably useful phrase "expect the unexpected" been so relevant.

Russell Brand As A Kid! (And Some Nice Animation)

With all the C.G.I and slick animated anime esque films these days, I feel a certain gap has been created where nice "organic" feeling animation used to be. This clip from 90s children's T.V show "Mud" is also a nice little opportunity to see Russell Brand as a young innocent teen doing a little acting. The animation is familiar in that you can tell that it has been done with pencils and crayons, probably the only animation tools that we all know well. It's close placement over the top of a little bit of video also provide the viewer with a nice contrast of animation and film, real and unreal.

Light Entertainment

Here's a little something that I just had to share. I came across it whilst looking for a Shawshank clip. I guess it isn't of any particular high artistic merit. It's just goddam funny!




I like to think that even the most sophisticated of art house loving and chablis drinking Shawshank fans can appreciate this little bit of light entertainment for the clever piece of work that it is!

The Evil "Good" Person

We all love to hate a good villain/antagonist. Darth Vader, Captain Hook, The Joker.

The list is endless.

Sometimes, however these villains are just a little too obvious.

Yes they are nasty people we get that, and so do all the characters.

No if you want real anger within the viewer you need The Evil "Good" Person.

Here are two of my favourites who are interestingly both Bible-bashing prison workers!

Firstly we have The Warden from The Shawshank Redemption who can't admit to himself that the prison he runs is flouting human rights laws and has no shame in killing a prisoner when he offers to testify in a fellow inmate's appeal. It's all in the name of god of course.

Secondly we have Percy, a warden from the The Green Mile. This character is a rather slimy character who only got his undeserved position through his powerful connections wets himself when he's scared, walks round like he owns the place and feels the need to take his anger out on rodents.

Characters like these tear the viewer apart as wile one can see that they are thoroughly evil, more importantly one is frustrated both at the inability of others to see them for who they really are and the villains' delusion that they are somehow good people.

Reality vs La La Land

I know I've rabbited on about this before, but I just can't help myself.

Whilst I will always prefer a good bit of well made film, a little slice of animation in just the right place will always go a long way. In this case it goes the whole nine yards!

In a film about narcotics the subject of reality is an easy one to touch upon. Here, reality and a stylized take on a drug induced state are brilliantly juxtaposed and for me highlight what I like about animation.

For me Animation is a nice escape from reality. In a comparatively mundane world a bit of the colorful surrealism that animation can bring you is always nice. However for me, after a short wile, the animation becomes your reality, as one has gotten used to it.

In the above little sequence though, the director has got it just right. He mirrors one of the character's trips into his own his drug induced world, by suddenly throwing the viewer straight into his imagination and thus being effective by firstly providing a sudden change of scene and more importantly providing the viewer with a feeling similar to an abrupt, drug induced detachment from reality.

It's Still All About the Story!

It may seem that I'm about to undermine a lot of what I stand against. Maybe I am....

I don't think I am.

Nevermind.

As per usual I saw one hell of a film the other day; Awake, starring Hayden Christiensen and Jessica Alba. This was a bit of a change of scene for me. Why? Because as an "arty kid" I usually watch all those "arty" movies that look all wired and arty. Yes I know I'm hardly being eloquent here, don't worry. In case you hadn't noticed I'm trying to make a rather crude imitation of the inarticulate yet accurate descriptions people (including myself) give of those kinds of films; indie films, animated films, surreal films e.t.c

Anyway, as you may be able to deduce from the below clip this has MASSIVE THRILLER written all over it. Placing one immediately in the beautifully uncomfortable shoes of someone who can feel everything during their surgery whilst experiencing every slow and painful second of their slow and painful death is automatically going to get the heart racing.

Yes I'll admit there are some very nicely shot scenes involving Clayton as a small boy and his various visions but all in all this film appeals first to the mind and then to the eyes later.

My Favorite Scene From The World's Favorite Film

This certainly isn't my favorite film but it's one of my favorites. This scene for me however sums up the main appeal.



Firstly I find the scene to be perfectly composed. The focal point is of course Charles Kane, sat down at his desk. His ex-guardian is trying to persuade him from continuing to run a newspaper that is loosing money, of course Mr Kane is having none of it. Kane's position of power is illustrated perfectly here by visually the seemingly opposite situation of his ex-guardian having the upper hand by him standing tall. However this is not the case as Charles remains calm and composed before being swept up in a fit of passion. Then comes a very inspirational line which for me is the essence of what being a creative entrepreneur is all about; "At the rate of a million dollars a year I'd have to close this place in... 60 years". It is lines like these that really stir up the creative passion in me and make me want to be the kind of person who is willing to sacrifice their entire life savings for the love of their artwork.

When Cartoons Were Better!

I sat up and realised something the other day. In the early 90's (my childhood) cartoons were so much cooler!

O.k I'm not too sure what cartoons children watch these days but I'm pretty sure they're nothing like the one's I remember. I also remember cartoons getting rubbish around 1998. Yes one could argue that that's just me getting old but I disagree. Cartoons like Conan the Adventurer, Thundercats and of course the legendary Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are for me of an era that died a long time ago.

These cartoons are all of the same ballsy nature. Just look at their intros! They all kick off with a similar in your face rock 'n roll explosion. Hell, they even seem slightly scary! Plus I find the animation much more crisp and precise.

Back in the 90s there was even, come to think of it, one hell of a C.G.I cartoon and this was before the whole C.G.I explosion with Toy Story in 1997!

This cartoon, in case you hadn't managed to deduce this from the highly self explanatory intro is about life inside a computer! Yes a bunch of nerds sat down and personified the insides of one's average P.C and made a cartoon about it! When one takes into account the whole internet boom that was going on at the time and sudden spread of home computers it's easy to see why such a cartoon was made

My Kind of Humour

I feel that this little clip from "The Onion Movie" is a prime example of what my ideal kind of humor is.

First and foremost it is silly; the concept of changing a definition for convenience purposes and thereby running from the reality of it is utterly ludicrous.

Secondly it is surreal; This ludicrous idea is juxtaposed perfectly with the very real and serious situation of news creating a highly abnormal and unreal situation.

Most importantly for me though is the visual aspect. I find that I respond best to visual humor and so the sudden picture of an obese man, with bold text beneath him declaring that he is formally obese tickles my funny bone in just the right spot. God I'm easily amused!