Happy Thanksgiving!

Animation Month - Screen Play

Screen Play, by Barry Purves, is with one notable exception, my all-time favorite animated short. Before reading my pseudo-academic ramblings, I suggest you view it first. 

 

Highly stylized, the viewer is continually reminded of the unreality of what they are viewing. Instead of cutting from scene to scene, the sets change around the characters as though we are viewing a real play in the Japanese no theater. An actor narrates and plays key characters throughout the story; black-clad kurogo (puppeteers in traditional Japanese puppet theater) weave in and out of the story, manipulating events. Stunningly beautiful imagery abounds in this film. The story and characters are secondary to the artistry of the film. By the end, even the reality within the play is broken; then the reality of the film itself. The audience is being played.

You can visit Gary Purves' website here: www.barrypurves.com

A Turkey pardons a Turkey

Ever seen Fargo?

Animation Month - Peter and the Wolf

Last year's Oscar for Best Animated Short was awarded to Suzie Templeton for her film Peter and the Wolf. The story and music comes from Sergei Prokofiev's 1936 piece of the same name. Prokofiev's music was originally commissioned as a teaching tool for children to learn about orchestral music. The story is told by a narrator while accompanied by the orchestra. Each character is represented by their own musical theme and instruments (called a lietmotif); Peter by strings, the Bird by a flute, the Duck by an Oboe, etc. The piece has been narrated by several famous people over the years, including Boris Kaloff, Basil Rathbone, Alec Guiness, Patrick Stewart and Sting. Disney created their own animated short in 1949, part of the compilation film Make Mine Music, with Sterling Halloway narrating.

The story itself is simple: Against his Grandfather's wishes, our young hero Peter wanders into the woods, accompanied by his friends the Bird, the Duck, and the Cat, to hunt a wolf, perhaps not really expecting to find one. The Duck is eaten. The Wolf chases them up a tree. The Bird distracts the Wolf long enough for Peter to get a rope around it's tail and captures it.

Templeton's stop-motion film is a little different from Disney's. Character designs are scragglier, earthier; not plump and round. Peter takes place, in part, in a modern day city. Portions of the story are not even accompanied by music and there is no narration. You can read more about the film here on Breakthru Film's site and also on PBS' Great Performances.

Here are two back-to-back excerpts from the film. You can download the full short on iTunes or it is available on DVD.

For fun I've included the complete Disney short, in two parts...

...and an illustrated book by Bono. Yes, that Bono.

You can learn more about Peter and the Wolf at Wikipedia.

Auto Bailout - good or bad?

There has been much debate over the proposed bailout of the auto industry. Having grown up in Michigan, and now living in Ohio, I have watched both states struggle as industrial jobs disappear. The question is, would it be better to allow GM to restructure under bankruptcy protection or provide a short-term bailout to give them the time they need to restructure on their own? By doing nothing are we allowing another US industry fizzle away? Former Boston Governor Mitt Romney – who grew up in Michigan as a son of an auto exec – has a very persuasive editorial in the New York Times that addresses this very issue. You can read it here.

Update: Here is video of an interview Romney gave on Morning Joe.

Another update: Senator Barney Frank has a different opinion. You can read/listen to it here on NPR.

Save our economy!

Learn about how to save our economy from Captain Capitalism!

Animated Shorts

This month I'm going to try my first series. Those of you who already know me know I'm a pretty big animation fan. To start off the series, here are three shorts I found online, all with a bird theme. Enjoy!

Chicken Tennis

Kiwi  dir. Dony Permedi / School of Visual Arts

Penguins  dir. Pierre Coffin

We're off to see... hmmm...

Aintitcool is posting that French filmmaker John Boorman (The Exorcist II) is creating a CG animated retelling of Frank Baum's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I don't really know enough about Boorman's work to guess what his take on the story would be. The filmmaker is supposedly going back to the original source material, which is a potential gold mine from an artistic and storytelling standpoint. Remakes tend to be disappointing, but this artistic snob has to admit some of the concept art is intriguing, like the above image of the Witch's castle.

No word if this film will be created using mo-cap or traditional animation.

Have ye seen my kite?

According to MSNBC, an Australian man had a run-in with a whale while kite surfing. The man noticed a shadow in the water ahead of him, at first dismissing it as a cast shadow from his sail. Suddenly the whale broke the surface of the water and the man sailed over the back of the whale, then got whacked from behind by its tail. It happened so quickly that had it not been for others witnessing the event, no one would have believed him. No word if he's planning an epic voyage of vengeance.

The Wordy Shipmates

I found out last week that Sarah Vowell (aka, Incredible Girl) will be speaking at the Cleveland Public Library on Sunday, November 16 at 2:00 pm. She will be discussing her new book, The Wordy Shipmates. The book is a look back at the Puritans and the founding of Massachusetts. She discusses the first governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop, and his sermon "A Model of Christian Charity." His image of a "shining city on a hill" (originating from the Sermon on the Mount from the book of Matthew) is considered the origin of the American ideal of Manifest Destiny – that Europeans/European Americans would occupy land from sea to shining sea, enlighten Native Americans to Christian ideals while removing them from their land. This same ideal, Vowell argues, was the same justification of our invasions of other countries – McKinley's decision to invade the Philippines, Kennedy's decision to send troops to Vietnam and George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq.

I have been listening to the audio version of the book, which includes actors reading the parts of key history figures. Her wry sense of humor and ability to tie moments in history to pop culture never ceases to entertain me.

You can read about it more here at the Plain Dealer.

Update: Sarah Vowell will be on 90.3 on Around Noon today.

Quantum of Solace

The new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, comes out this Friday. This is the first 'sequel' in the series. The previous film, Casino Royale, marked a turning point for the franchise. Inspired by the success of the Jason Bourne series, and a desire to match more closely the tone of the original Ian Flemming books, the producers decided to go more serious with the franchise. Royale is grittier, but does not lose the charm/style of Bond's character. No giant satellite raybeams or cartoonish digital effects, but plenty of fast-paced action. Royale is Bond's first mission as a double-O. As the story progresses, we see Daniel Craig's Bond slowly grow into his character; posing in front of a mirror in a "real dinner jacket" for the first time, ordering his first martini "shaken, not stirred." He grows from a working-class assassin to the cigar smoking, martini drinking stylish super-spy we all know and love.

Quantum picks up directly from where the last film leaves off. Bond has lost his lover, Vesper, and is eager for vengeance. A SPECTRE-like shadowy organization profits by funding terrorism. Their only lead, the mysterious Mr. White, the man who set in motion the events leading to Vesper's death. How will this film compare to the last? All indications from the trailers are it will be great.

Do you expect me to talk?

So, which Bond villain would you be? Post your answer in the comments section.

What kind of watch would you wear? Click here to find out.

Captain America Returns!

I am not a huge Captain America fan, but this tidbit of news from Aintitcool caught my eye. Joe Johnston, the director of The Rocketeer and October Sky, and production designer for the original Star Wars trilogy, will be directing the new Captain America film. Captain America was a soldier that was given super powers by scientists to fight Nazis during WWII. Fortunately, the filmmakers have chosen not to try to tell a Captain America story in present day; the story will take place during World War II.

The above illustration is by Alex Ross.

Giving Joe Sixpack back his Sixpack

According to NPR, a group of science students is trying to genetically engineer a new kind of beer that will have the same health benefits as red wine. The alcoholic beverage of choice in the United States is beer... most Americans are overweight... so why not create a beer that has (at least some) health benefits? Ironically, the students developing the project are all under the legal drinking age! You can read more about it here.

Obamanation now Obamaworld

Not just the United States but the entire world is celebrating the election of Barack Obama. Perhaps the most enthusiastic, the people of Obama, Japan.



You can read more about it here.

Election not over yet!

The election is not over yet! The most important decision is yet to be announced – what breed will the First Dog be?

Vote here.

It is ironic that even as America demonstrated it's ability to "transcend race" and elect the first African American president, at the same time it has taken away rights for another group of people. Unfortunately, voters in California overturned gay marriage. Voters in Arkansas imposed a law that bans gay couples from adopting children. The latter, in particular, is absolutely deplorable. How many children are out there without a family? Who are we to say that one couple is less qualified to be loving parents, simply because of who they sleep with?

I can't help but wonder, what will happen to children in Arkansas who have already been adopted?

America has demonstrated again and again it's ability to grow. During my lifetime I have seen the Berlin Wall fall and a man named Barack Hussein Obama become President-Elect. I have no doubt that both of these laws will be overturned in time. (One positive that came out of the California's Proposition 8 was that the vote was split almost 50-50. The last time gay marriage went on the ballot, the margin was much wider, meaning that attitudes are changing.) But it may take another generation before America is able to transcend it's attitudes about sexual orientation the way it has race.

In the meantime, I hope that the individuals in Arkansas who must enforce these new laws will take the needs of the children into account.

Both Liam and Mysterious Creature have posted on this as well...

A New America

“If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”

- President-Elect Barack Obama

More from Obama in Cleveland

Here are some videos of some of what we saw at the rally Sunday.

First was The Boss.



Then the man himself.

Obama in Cleveland!

Today proved to be quite the adventure – my friend Paul and I attended the rally for Barack Obama! The rally was happening downtown at the same time as a Browns game and the Wringling Bros. Circus! Of course, downtown Cleveland was absolutely insane. We stood in line for at least 40 minutes just to get on the Rapid. Once we got downtown, we discovered that the line to get into the rally wound through town past Tower City down as far as Huron. In spite of the large numbers of people, everyone was quite orderly. There was never a moment I felt unsafe or overwhelmed. Everyone was friendly and excited about witnessing history unfold before our eyes.There was such a sense of community that I can't say I've ever experienced in Cleveland before.

This is us in line on Huron looking up at Tower City...

Here we are about a half-hour later, next to the Civil War Monument in Public Square.

We did not try to get into the rally itself. Instead, we ended up in the mall just across the street from the rally, next to the Mariott Hotel. According to the PD, there were 80,000 people! We stood there for close to three hours before the actual speech took place.

Bruce Springsteen sang to the crowd. I am not a big Springsteen fan, but the tone of music tapped into what we have all been feeling the past few years – that sense of clinging to hope in a time of hopelessness – perfect for the occasion. I can only compare his music to Bob Dilan.


And the man of the hour... Michelle and their two girls were there too.

It was truly humbling to be a part of history... to share a connection with so many people who truly want a better future... to join with 80,000 people in prayer for this country and our candidate. This is the real moral majority!

I must confess I'm pretty tired from the experience tonight. I will try to post more of my thoughts about everything that I witnessed and heard later this week.

You can view more pics and read the PD report here.

I WANT YOUR VOTE!

During my entire lifetime there has never been an election as important as this. Regardless of where your politics lie, it is your responsibility to get out there and let your voice be heard. If for no other reason, than to justify complaining about the results!

For those of you who live in Cuyahoga County, there is a sample ballot at the Plain Dealer's website, Cleveland.com, where you can go through each candidate/issue. It will allow you to view editorials on most of the major issues/candidates or direct you to where you can do more research. You can print out your sample ballot at the end so you are prepared for the voting box.

Click here to go to the sample ballot.

Or another good source is the League of Women Voters.

Total segue here, to learn more about the origins of James Montgomery Flagg's famous illustration of Uncle Sam, I found a cool blog here.