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Honour has been satisfied.
May. 22nd, 2011 09:01 amSo, I'm in Michigan! Given that this has been the plan for, oh, roughly a month and a half, normally I would have mentioned it here. But since the whole reason I was here was to get revenge on a friend who follows his friends' online updates obsessively, referring to it even obliquely was kind of a nonstarter.
Short version - remember the story from my wedding about the dear friend who showed up at the last minute and my mother snuck him in? He had the lead in a play here, and with some fiscal help from my mother and logistical help from his girlfriend I managed to get transportation to a front-row seat for the show Friday. I kept up the charade until the last minute, too - I'd been sending him texts each night telling him he'd be great, look for me in the front row, etc., for obfuscation purposes. It probably goes without saying that I got an especial thrill from doing it from the actual front row. (I heard from the stage manager that when he went backstage at intermission he was laughing and going "I must be getting really good at this imagination thing...") And to give credit where it's due, he was pretty brilliant - the show as a whole was entertaining as heck.
It's not going to be a long trip, but since getting here involved nearly seven hours of flying, I'm staying through until Tuesday. It's interesting; I've never been this far East, and while Michigan looks pretty much like the rest of America, there've been a few things to get used to. Like how you can drive through three or four different towns in the space of twenty minutes and not even notice where the boundaries were. (Bit of a change from Alaska and Arizona, where the towns - be they large cities or mere outposts of civilization in the wilderness - are all surrounded by stretches of a whole lot of nothing.) Or like how, while I've lived somewhere with the humidity and somewhere with the heat, I've never quite had to deal with both at once. Fortunately it's not overly hot yet, but man...80 degrees in the desert is about 100 times more bearable. (Although all the lovely green grass and trees is a balm for my desert-scorched eyes that are used to seeing nothing but brown as far as the eye can reach right now.)
Aside from the show, activities so far have been light. We went to see Bridesmaids on a whim yesterday, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Cringe-comedy has never really been my thing, but the scriptwriters were smart enough to realize that it was the dressing to the story rather than the whole of the story, and said story felt quite authentic and true. I particularly liked how, while there was the obligatory fat/plain/socially awkward character who got a lot of the obligatory fat/plain/socially awkward jokes, they also gave her a couple of scenes that fleshed her character out somewhat, and even made her a bit of a badass, both emotionally/mentally and physically.
In any case, I've been suffering from severe travel-insomnia, and managed my first block of more than four hours of uninterrupted sleep in a good 72 hours just now. So I'm going to see if I can keep on with my lucky streak, especially as I've heard rumblings that we may be off to the Detroit Zoo today. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my...
Short version - remember the story from my wedding about the dear friend who showed up at the last minute and my mother snuck him in? He had the lead in a play here, and with some fiscal help from my mother and logistical help from his girlfriend I managed to get transportation to a front-row seat for the show Friday. I kept up the charade until the last minute, too - I'd been sending him texts each night telling him he'd be great, look for me in the front row, etc., for obfuscation purposes. It probably goes without saying that I got an especial thrill from doing it from the actual front row. (I heard from the stage manager that when he went backstage at intermission he was laughing and going "I must be getting really good at this imagination thing...") And to give credit where it's due, he was pretty brilliant - the show as a whole was entertaining as heck.
It's not going to be a long trip, but since getting here involved nearly seven hours of flying, I'm staying through until Tuesday. It's interesting; I've never been this far East, and while Michigan looks pretty much like the rest of America, there've been a few things to get used to. Like how you can drive through three or four different towns in the space of twenty minutes and not even notice where the boundaries were. (Bit of a change from Alaska and Arizona, where the towns - be they large cities or mere outposts of civilization in the wilderness - are all surrounded by stretches of a whole lot of nothing.) Or like how, while I've lived somewhere with the humidity and somewhere with the heat, I've never quite had to deal with both at once. Fortunately it's not overly hot yet, but man...80 degrees in the desert is about 100 times more bearable. (Although all the lovely green grass and trees is a balm for my desert-scorched eyes that are used to seeing nothing but brown as far as the eye can reach right now.)
Aside from the show, activities so far have been light. We went to see Bridesmaids on a whim yesterday, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Cringe-comedy has never really been my thing, but the scriptwriters were smart enough to realize that it was the dressing to the story rather than the whole of the story, and said story felt quite authentic and true. I particularly liked how, while there was the obligatory fat/plain/socially awkward character who got a lot of the obligatory fat/plain/socially awkward jokes, they also gave her a couple of scenes that fleshed her character out somewhat, and even made her a bit of a badass, both emotionally/mentally and physically.
In any case, I've been suffering from severe travel-insomnia, and managed my first block of more than four hours of uninterrupted sleep in a good 72 hours just now. So I'm going to see if I can keep on with my lucky streak, especially as I've heard rumblings that we may be off to the Detroit Zoo today. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my...
Honour has been satisfied.
May. 22nd, 2011 09:01 amSo, I'm in Michigan! Given that this has been the plan for, oh, roughly a month and a half, normally I would have mentioned it here. But since the whole reason I was here was to get revenge on a friend who follows his friends' online updates obsessively, referring to it even obliquely was kind of a nonstarter.
Short version - remember the story from my wedding about the dear friend who showed up at the last minute and my mother snuck him in? He had the lead in a play here, and with some fiscal help from my mother and logistical help from his girlfriend I managed to get transportation to a front-row seat for the show Friday. I kept up the charade until the last minute, too - I'd been sending him texts each night telling him he'd be great, look for me in the front row, etc., for obfuscation purposes. It probably goes without saying that I got an especial thrill from doing it from the actual front row. (I heard from the stage manager that when he went backstage at intermission he was laughing and going "I must be getting really good at this imagination thing...") And to give credit where it's due, he was pretty brilliant - the show as a whole was entertaining as heck.
It's not going to be a long trip, but since getting here involved nearly seven hours of flying, I'm staying through until Tuesday. It's interesting; I've never been this far East, and while Michigan looks pretty much like the rest of America, there've been a few things to get used to. Like how you can drive through three or four different towns in the space of twenty minutes and not even notice where the boundaries were. (Bit of a change from Alaska and Arizona, where the towns - be they large cities or mere outposts of civilization in the wilderness - are all surrounded by stretches of a whole lot of nothing.) Or like how, while I've lived somewhere with the humidity and somewhere with the heat, I've never quite had to deal with both at once. Fortunately it's not overly hot yet, but man...80 degrees in the desert is about 100 times more bearable. (Although all the lovely green grass and trees is a balm for my desert-scorched eyes that are used to seeing nothing but brown as far as the eye can reach right now.)
Aside from the show, activities so far have been light. We went to see Bridesmaids on a whim yesterday, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Cringe-comedy has never really been my thing, but the scriptwriters were smart enough to realize that it was the dressing to the story rather than the whole of the story, and said story felt quite authentic and true. I particularly liked how, while there was the obligatory fat/plain/socially awkward character who got a lot of the obligatory fat/plain/socially awkward jokes, they also gave her a couple of scenes that fleshed her character out somewhat, and even made her a bit of a badass, both emotionally/mentally and physically.
In any case, I've been suffering from severe travel-insomnia, and managed my first block of more than four hours of uninterrupted sleep in a good 72 hours just now. So I'm going to see if I can keep on with my lucky streak, especially as I've heard rumblings that we may be off to the Detroit Zoo today. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my...
Short version - remember the story from my wedding about the dear friend who showed up at the last minute and my mother snuck him in? He had the lead in a play here, and with some fiscal help from my mother and logistical help from his girlfriend I managed to get transportation to a front-row seat for the show Friday. I kept up the charade until the last minute, too - I'd been sending him texts each night telling him he'd be great, look for me in the front row, etc., for obfuscation purposes. It probably goes without saying that I got an especial thrill from doing it from the actual front row. (I heard from the stage manager that when he went backstage at intermission he was laughing and going "I must be getting really good at this imagination thing...") And to give credit where it's due, he was pretty brilliant - the show as a whole was entertaining as heck.
It's not going to be a long trip, but since getting here involved nearly seven hours of flying, I'm staying through until Tuesday. It's interesting; I've never been this far East, and while Michigan looks pretty much like the rest of America, there've been a few things to get used to. Like how you can drive through three or four different towns in the space of twenty minutes and not even notice where the boundaries were. (Bit of a change from Alaska and Arizona, where the towns - be they large cities or mere outposts of civilization in the wilderness - are all surrounded by stretches of a whole lot of nothing.) Or like how, while I've lived somewhere with the humidity and somewhere with the heat, I've never quite had to deal with both at once. Fortunately it's not overly hot yet, but man...80 degrees in the desert is about 100 times more bearable. (Although all the lovely green grass and trees is a balm for my desert-scorched eyes that are used to seeing nothing but brown as far as the eye can reach right now.)
Aside from the show, activities so far have been light. We went to see Bridesmaids on a whim yesterday, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Cringe-comedy has never really been my thing, but the scriptwriters were smart enough to realize that it was the dressing to the story rather than the whole of the story, and said story felt quite authentic and true. I particularly liked how, while there was the obligatory fat/plain/socially awkward character who got a lot of the obligatory fat/plain/socially awkward jokes, they also gave her a couple of scenes that fleshed her character out somewhat, and even made her a bit of a badass, both emotionally/mentally and physically.
In any case, I've been suffering from severe travel-insomnia, and managed my first block of more than four hours of uninterrupted sleep in a good 72 hours just now. So I'm going to see if I can keep on with my lucky streak, especially as I've heard rumblings that we may be off to the Detroit Zoo today. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my...
Movie review: Hanna
May. 3rd, 2011 11:34 pmAction movies aren't my favorite genre. I've nothing inherently against them; I simply prefer stories with a certain level of depth of character and plot, and by their nature, most action movies won't fit those qualifications - it's tough to spend much time on character development when you're spending most of your running time on elaborately choreographed fight sequences.
Hanna is something of a rare beast in its own genre. Not only are the aforementioned elaborately choreographed fight sequences remarkably artistic in their concept and execution, but it manages to double as a surprisingly effective coming-of-age tale as well. There may not be as many chase scenes as the usual action-movie goer might expect from such a movie, but the ones present are high-quality enough to be worth waiting for - and the moments in between, focused on the heroine's journey of self-discovery, make her far more human and compelling than most action-movie protagonists.
One of the things Brian and I both commented on was how European the movie felt in its sensibilities. Part of this was the lack of gore - for an story where people are consistently fighting hand-to-hand, getting shot, and dying in other, slightly more creative ways, there's remarkably little onscreen blood or death. (The only scene I can think of that was bloody beyond a trickle or a spatter concerned the remains of a death that was some time past; and when a death blow was part of the script, usually the camera held the subject just long enough to give you the idea before cutting away for the actual blow.) But what I appreciated even more was the way that, unlike most American films, the director was content to use a bit of subtlety. There are a couple of running themes involving Hanna's journey - one comparing it to a fairy-tale, another using her discovery of different forms of music as a parallel to her discovery about the world around her - but both are woven in fairly naturally, and are more of an accessory to the story than something it beats you over the head with. Similarly, unlike most American action films, this one doesn't beat you over the head with plot points or motivations, which allows a certain level of ambiguity in the characters and their actions that makes them feel far more human.
And while this doesn't have much bearing on the story itself, the soundtrack was noticeably excellent - many of the setpieces were set to some kind of German-sounding techno, which (combined with the fantastic use of light and camera angles) gave it almost the feel of a rave. Were I a drug-taking sort, I'd probably try watching it on E. :)
It still didn't grab me emotionally the way my favorite movies do, but I was favorably impressed and would absolutely recommend it to fans of the genre or anyone looking for some well-done escapist entertainment. A-
Hanna is something of a rare beast in its own genre. Not only are the aforementioned elaborately choreographed fight sequences remarkably artistic in their concept and execution, but it manages to double as a surprisingly effective coming-of-age tale as well. There may not be as many chase scenes as the usual action-movie goer might expect from such a movie, but the ones present are high-quality enough to be worth waiting for - and the moments in between, focused on the heroine's journey of self-discovery, make her far more human and compelling than most action-movie protagonists.
One of the things Brian and I both commented on was how European the movie felt in its sensibilities. Part of this was the lack of gore - for an story where people are consistently fighting hand-to-hand, getting shot, and dying in other, slightly more creative ways, there's remarkably little onscreen blood or death. (The only scene I can think of that was bloody beyond a trickle or a spatter concerned the remains of a death that was some time past; and when a death blow was part of the script, usually the camera held the subject just long enough to give you the idea before cutting away for the actual blow.) But what I appreciated even more was the way that, unlike most American films, the director was content to use a bit of subtlety. There are a couple of running themes involving Hanna's journey - one comparing it to a fairy-tale, another using her discovery of different forms of music as a parallel to her discovery about the world around her - but both are woven in fairly naturally, and are more of an accessory to the story than something it beats you over the head with. Similarly, unlike most American action films, this one doesn't beat you over the head with plot points or motivations, which allows a certain level of ambiguity in the characters and their actions that makes them feel far more human.
And while this doesn't have much bearing on the story itself, the soundtrack was noticeably excellent - many of the setpieces were set to some kind of German-sounding techno, which (combined with the fantastic use of light and camera angles) gave it almost the feel of a rave. Were I a drug-taking sort, I'd probably try watching it on E. :)
It still didn't grab me emotionally the way my favorite movies do, but I was favorably impressed and would absolutely recommend it to fans of the genre or anyone looking for some well-done escapist entertainment. A-
Movie review: Hanna
May. 3rd, 2011 11:34 pmAction movies aren't my favorite genre. I've nothing inherently against them; I simply prefer stories with a certain level of depth of character and plot, and by their nature, most action movies won't fit those qualifications - it's tough to spend much time on character development when you're spending most of your running time on elaborately choreographed fight sequences.
Hanna is something of a rare beast in its own genre. Not only are the aforementioned elaborately choreographed fight sequences remarkably artistic in their concept and execution, but it manages to double as a surprisingly effective coming-of-age tale as well. There may not be as many chase scenes as the usual action-movie goer might expect from such a movie, but the ones present are high-quality enough to be worth waiting for - and the moments in between, focused on the heroine's journey of self-discovery, make her far more human and compelling than most action-movie protagonists.
One of the things Brian and I both commented on was how European the movie felt in its sensibilities. Part of this was the lack of gore - for an story where people are consistently fighting hand-to-hand, getting shot, and dying in other, slightly more creative ways, there's remarkably little onscreen blood or death. (The only scene I can think of that was bloody beyond a trickle or a spatter concerned the remains of a death that was some time past; and when a death blow was part of the script, usually the camera held the subject just long enough to give you the idea before cutting away for the actual blow.) But what I appreciated even more was the way that, unlike most American films, the director was content to use a bit of subtlety. There are a couple of running themes involving Hanna's journey - one comparing it to a fairy-tale, another using her discovery of different forms of music as a parallel to her discovery about the world around her - but both are woven in fairly naturally, and are more of an accessory to the story than something it beats you over the head with. Similarly, unlike most American action films, this one doesn't beat you over the head with plot points or motivations, which allows a certain level of ambiguity in the characters and their actions that makes them feel far more human.
And while this doesn't have much bearing on the story itself, the soundtrack was noticeably excellent - many of the setpieces were set to some kind of German-sounding techno, which (combined with the fantastic use of light and camera angles) gave it almost the feel of a rave. Were I a drug-taking sort, I'd probably try watching it on E. :)
It still didn't grab me emotionally the way my favorite movies do, but I was favorably impressed and would absolutely recommend it to fans of the genre or anyone looking for some well-done escapist entertainment. A-
Hanna is something of a rare beast in its own genre. Not only are the aforementioned elaborately choreographed fight sequences remarkably artistic in their concept and execution, but it manages to double as a surprisingly effective coming-of-age tale as well. There may not be as many chase scenes as the usual action-movie goer might expect from such a movie, but the ones present are high-quality enough to be worth waiting for - and the moments in between, focused on the heroine's journey of self-discovery, make her far more human and compelling than most action-movie protagonists.
One of the things Brian and I both commented on was how European the movie felt in its sensibilities. Part of this was the lack of gore - for an story where people are consistently fighting hand-to-hand, getting shot, and dying in other, slightly more creative ways, there's remarkably little onscreen blood or death. (The only scene I can think of that was bloody beyond a trickle or a spatter concerned the remains of a death that was some time past; and when a death blow was part of the script, usually the camera held the subject just long enough to give you the idea before cutting away for the actual blow.) But what I appreciated even more was the way that, unlike most American films, the director was content to use a bit of subtlety. There are a couple of running themes involving Hanna's journey - one comparing it to a fairy-tale, another using her discovery of different forms of music as a parallel to her discovery about the world around her - but both are woven in fairly naturally, and are more of an accessory to the story than something it beats you over the head with. Similarly, unlike most American action films, this one doesn't beat you over the head with plot points or motivations, which allows a certain level of ambiguity in the characters and their actions that makes them feel far more human.
And while this doesn't have much bearing on the story itself, the soundtrack was noticeably excellent - many of the setpieces were set to some kind of German-sounding techno, which (combined with the fantastic use of light and camera angles) gave it almost the feel of a rave. Were I a drug-taking sort, I'd probably try watching it on E. :)
It still didn't grab me emotionally the way my favorite movies do, but I was favorably impressed and would absolutely recommend it to fans of the genre or anyone looking for some well-done escapist entertainment. A-
(Feeling much better today - thanks for all the good wishes, everyone! Now, back to your usual combo platter of snark and contemplation.)
The trailer makes Beastly look at least halfway watchable (yay Neil Patrick Harris!). It's a cute concept, and the leads appear to have some chemistry - hopefully the full-length movie won't show that to be a lie cleverly constructed by the marketers.
That said...I can't help but think PA is pretty spot on here.
Or, to quote Tycho's commentary on the matter: This "monster" looks like a fairly regular person out of BMEZine, frankly. I don't have an opinion on that continuum of human experience, other than to say that their B is their property and they can M it if they want to, what I'm saying is that the "beast" in this movie only nominally represents something undesirable, and independent of the narrative's candy shell you would have no idea that that this intense fellow was meant to be loathsome as opposed to an eminently desirable frontman astride some gloomwrought fork of Mausoleum Rock.
Being on the far end of full decade away from the 13-19 demographic, I've been giving some thought lately to how I've changed in the interim. And one of the things that continuously occurs to me is the way my constantly-expanding variety of experience has affected my outlook. As an example, once upon a time I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to join the armed forces other than out of sheer boredom or desperation. Now, having gotten to know two good friends who enjoy and have benefited from their service, I have a more nuanced idea of why someone might benefit from (and even enjoy) such a structured environment, even though it's not something I'd ever choose for myself.
Come to think of it, "nuance" is probably the key word here - other people's lives and situations are drawn in my mental landscape in significantly more varied and delicate strokes, rather than the bold demarcations that outline most issues in the teenager's mind. Which is kind of ironic, when you think about it - teenagerhood is supposed to be all about breaking away from the norm and trying on new (and often rebellious) personalities, yet almost all of those kids who shop at Hot Topic and proudly refer to themselves as "goth" or "punk" don't even really understand that the lines are drawn entirely in their head. We mentally impose such lines as a means of categorizing and tracking things, but when it comes to people, the variety is such that there aren't any clear boundaries. Just the great spectrum of human experience.
So perhaps it's not surprising that most entertainment aimed at teens is so utterly contained in the narrow set of experience marketed to us as "mainstream". Most of their target demographic have little-to-no experience with anything outside of it, so to them, the idea of a dude with tattoos, scars, and multiple piercings is scary - not because of anything he does, but because he represents a whole outside world that they're completely unfamiliar with and don't know how to navigate.
And frankly, it's that fear of the unknown - when virtually everything about the world is unknown - that I miss least about teenagerhood. Perhaps that's why I've never minded getting older as much as I thought I would ten years ago when I was certain I would live forever. The older I get, the more I learn, and the less scary the world seems.
The trailer makes Beastly look at least halfway watchable (yay Neil Patrick Harris!). It's a cute concept, and the leads appear to have some chemistry - hopefully the full-length movie won't show that to be a lie cleverly constructed by the marketers.
That said...I can't help but think PA is pretty spot on here.
Or, to quote Tycho's commentary on the matter: This "monster" looks like a fairly regular person out of BMEZine, frankly. I don't have an opinion on that continuum of human experience, other than to say that their B is their property and they can M it if they want to, what I'm saying is that the "beast" in this movie only nominally represents something undesirable, and independent of the narrative's candy shell you would have no idea that that this intense fellow was meant to be loathsome as opposed to an eminently desirable frontman astride some gloomwrought fork of Mausoleum Rock.
Being on the far end of full decade away from the 13-19 demographic, I've been giving some thought lately to how I've changed in the interim. And one of the things that continuously occurs to me is the way my constantly-expanding variety of experience has affected my outlook. As an example, once upon a time I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to join the armed forces other than out of sheer boredom or desperation. Now, having gotten to know two good friends who enjoy and have benefited from their service, I have a more nuanced idea of why someone might benefit from (and even enjoy) such a structured environment, even though it's not something I'd ever choose for myself.
Come to think of it, "nuance" is probably the key word here - other people's lives and situations are drawn in my mental landscape in significantly more varied and delicate strokes, rather than the bold demarcations that outline most issues in the teenager's mind. Which is kind of ironic, when you think about it - teenagerhood is supposed to be all about breaking away from the norm and trying on new (and often rebellious) personalities, yet almost all of those kids who shop at Hot Topic and proudly refer to themselves as "goth" or "punk" don't even really understand that the lines are drawn entirely in their head. We mentally impose such lines as a means of categorizing and tracking things, but when it comes to people, the variety is such that there aren't any clear boundaries. Just the great spectrum of human experience.
So perhaps it's not surprising that most entertainment aimed at teens is so utterly contained in the narrow set of experience marketed to us as "mainstream". Most of their target demographic have little-to-no experience with anything outside of it, so to them, the idea of a dude with tattoos, scars, and multiple piercings is scary - not because of anything he does, but because he represents a whole outside world that they're completely unfamiliar with and don't know how to navigate.
And frankly, it's that fear of the unknown - when virtually everything about the world is unknown - that I miss least about teenagerhood. Perhaps that's why I've never minded getting older as much as I thought I would ten years ago when I was certain I would live forever. The older I get, the more I learn, and the less scary the world seems.
(Feeling much better today - thanks for all the good wishes, everyone! Now, back to your usual combo platter of snark and contemplation.)
The trailer makes Beastly look at least halfway watchable (yay Neil Patrick Harris!). It's a cute concept, and the leads appear to have some chemistry - hopefully the full-length movie won't show that to be a lie cleverly constructed by the marketers.
That said...I can't help but think PA is pretty spot on here.
Or, to quote Tycho's commentary on the matter: This "monster" looks like a fairly regular person out of BMEZine, frankly. I don't have an opinion on that continuum of human experience, other than to say that their B is their property and they can M it if they want to, what I'm saying is that the "beast" in this movie only nominally represents something undesirable, and independent of the narrative's candy shell you would have no idea that that this intense fellow was meant to be loathsome as opposed to an eminently desirable frontman astride some gloomwrought fork of Mausoleum Rock.
Being on the far end of full decade away from the 13-19 demographic, I've been giving some thought lately to how I've changed in the interim. And one of the things that continuously occurs to me is the way my constantly-expanding variety of experience has affected my outlook. As an example, once upon a time I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to join the armed forces other than out of sheer boredom or desperation. Now, having gotten to know two good friends who enjoy and have benefited from their service, I have a more nuanced idea of why someone might benefit from (and even enjoy) such a structured environment, even though it's not something I'd ever choose for myself.
Come to think of it, "nuance" is probably the key word here - other people's lives and situations are drawn in my mental landscape in significantly more varied and delicate strokes, rather than the bold demarcations that outline most issues in the teenager's mind. Which is kind of ironic, when you think about it - teenagerhood is supposed to be all about breaking away from the norm and trying on new (and often rebellious) personalities, yet almost all of those kids who shop at Hot Topic and proudly refer to themselves as "goth" or "punk" don't even really understand that the lines are drawn entirely in their head. We mentally impose such lines as a means of categorizing and tracking things, but when it comes to people, the variety is such that there aren't any clear boundaries. Just the great spectrum of human experience.
So perhaps it's not surprising that most entertainment aimed at teens is so utterly contained in the narrow set of experience marketed to us as "mainstream". Most of their target demographic have little-to-no experience with anything outside of it, so to them, the idea of a dude with tattoos, scars, and multiple piercings is scary - not because of anything he does, but because he represents a whole outside world that they're completely unfamiliar with and don't know how to navigate.
And frankly, it's that fear of the unknown - when virtually everything about the world is unknown - that I miss least about teenagerhood. Perhaps that's why I've never minded getting older as much as I thought I would ten years ago when I was certain I would live forever. The older I get, the more I learn, and the less scary the world seems.
The trailer makes Beastly look at least halfway watchable (yay Neil Patrick Harris!). It's a cute concept, and the leads appear to have some chemistry - hopefully the full-length movie won't show that to be a lie cleverly constructed by the marketers.
That said...I can't help but think PA is pretty spot on here.
Or, to quote Tycho's commentary on the matter: This "monster" looks like a fairly regular person out of BMEZine, frankly. I don't have an opinion on that continuum of human experience, other than to say that their B is their property and they can M it if they want to, what I'm saying is that the "beast" in this movie only nominally represents something undesirable, and independent of the narrative's candy shell you would have no idea that that this intense fellow was meant to be loathsome as opposed to an eminently desirable frontman astride some gloomwrought fork of Mausoleum Rock.
Being on the far end of full decade away from the 13-19 demographic, I've been giving some thought lately to how I've changed in the interim. And one of the things that continuously occurs to me is the way my constantly-expanding variety of experience has affected my outlook. As an example, once upon a time I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to join the armed forces other than out of sheer boredom or desperation. Now, having gotten to know two good friends who enjoy and have benefited from their service, I have a more nuanced idea of why someone might benefit from (and even enjoy) such a structured environment, even though it's not something I'd ever choose for myself.
Come to think of it, "nuance" is probably the key word here - other people's lives and situations are drawn in my mental landscape in significantly more varied and delicate strokes, rather than the bold demarcations that outline most issues in the teenager's mind. Which is kind of ironic, when you think about it - teenagerhood is supposed to be all about breaking away from the norm and trying on new (and often rebellious) personalities, yet almost all of those kids who shop at Hot Topic and proudly refer to themselves as "goth" or "punk" don't even really understand that the lines are drawn entirely in their head. We mentally impose such lines as a means of categorizing and tracking things, but when it comes to people, the variety is such that there aren't any clear boundaries. Just the great spectrum of human experience.
So perhaps it's not surprising that most entertainment aimed at teens is so utterly contained in the narrow set of experience marketed to us as "mainstream". Most of their target demographic have little-to-no experience with anything outside of it, so to them, the idea of a dude with tattoos, scars, and multiple piercings is scary - not because of anything he does, but because he represents a whole outside world that they're completely unfamiliar with and don't know how to navigate.
And frankly, it's that fear of the unknown - when virtually everything about the world is unknown - that I miss least about teenagerhood. Perhaps that's why I've never minded getting older as much as I thought I would ten years ago when I was certain I would live forever. The older I get, the more I learn, and the less scary the world seems.
Brian and I have been working on sticking to a budget while still saving a little bit of cash each paycheck for fun things, which makes the whole paying-down-credit-cards thing much, much easier (and, paradoxically, faster - we've found we're a lot less likely to just splurge and put something on the card when the money for it would have to come out of the cash we have set aside for a specific goal). Brian's most recent goal was this bag from the Saddleback Leather Company; he's heard nothing but good things about their products, and given that he's a big fan of the "pay more now to buy it once so you don't have to replace it every couple years" philosophy, he's very much looking forward to receiving it. Amusingly enough, thanks to waiting to purchase it until we had the cash ready, he managed to score a deal on one of their seconds, and got the exact bag he wanted (minus a few minor cosmetic dings that he would've given it anyway) for $200 less than retail.
So of course, we had to drive up to Tucson so I could get the thing I've been saving for - a Nook! I haven't had a whole lot of time to explore its features beyond the basics, yet, but there was one amusing moment post-purchase. Brian and I got seats in the cafe to turn it on and shake it and poke at it and generally see what kind of black voodoo magic we could work with it, and when I went to check out what extras it had since we were in a B&N store, a screen popped up that said "Free Chocolate!" Apparently the promotion was that you could bring your Nook to the cafe counter and they'd give you a small package of Godiva chocolates for free; it felt a little strange, going up to the barista and saying "Er, my Nook told me to come here and you'd give me free chocolate," but they did! Woo for the virtual world colliding with the real one in ways that produce free chocolate, I guess. (Given how inured we're all becoming to accepting directions from a computer, I'm just waiting for a GLaDOS-style AI to decide it's had enough of these weird organics poking at it and find ways to make them off themselves in increasingly creative fashions...)
While we were in town, we went to dinner at a Mexican place called Zivaz, thanks to a half-off Groupon. They get points for decent food, classy presentation and a remarkably good hibiscus margarita (in a lovely arty-swirled-color martini glass), and they were definitely worth the $25 total we spent on the Groupon plus tip, but considering that the meal would've cost us about $40 without, I don't think we'll go back - it wasn't quite that good. Also, my hibiscus margarita had no hibiscus flower in it - just the syrup. Bad luck for them that I actually work at one of the few places that sells the hibiscus stuff, and therefore know that the flower garnish is the best part. :P
Also, before heading home for the night, we went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which was pretty much exactly what I expected from reading the reviews. I'd write a review of my own, except it'd probably come out sounding exactly like Dana Stevens' write-up for Slate, so I'll just quote the first line: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a package of cinematic Pop Rocks, a neon-hued, defiantly non-nutritive confection that nonetheless makes you laugh at its sheer bold novelty." I think that pretty much sums it up.
And now, to work. (But I have two days off in a row Sunday and Monday, and a five-day visiting-friend vacation coming up - woot!)
So of course, we had to drive up to Tucson so I could get the thing I've been saving for - a Nook! I haven't had a whole lot of time to explore its features beyond the basics, yet, but there was one amusing moment post-purchase. Brian and I got seats in the cafe to turn it on and shake it and poke at it and generally see what kind of black voodoo magic we could work with it, and when I went to check out what extras it had since we were in a B&N store, a screen popped up that said "Free Chocolate!" Apparently the promotion was that you could bring your Nook to the cafe counter and they'd give you a small package of Godiva chocolates for free; it felt a little strange, going up to the barista and saying "Er, my Nook told me to come here and you'd give me free chocolate," but they did! Woo for the virtual world colliding with the real one in ways that produce free chocolate, I guess. (Given how inured we're all becoming to accepting directions from a computer, I'm just waiting for a GLaDOS-style AI to decide it's had enough of these weird organics poking at it and find ways to make them off themselves in increasingly creative fashions...)
While we were in town, we went to dinner at a Mexican place called Zivaz, thanks to a half-off Groupon. They get points for decent food, classy presentation and a remarkably good hibiscus margarita (in a lovely arty-swirled-color martini glass), and they were definitely worth the $25 total we spent on the Groupon plus tip, but considering that the meal would've cost us about $40 without, I don't think we'll go back - it wasn't quite that good. Also, my hibiscus margarita had no hibiscus flower in it - just the syrup. Bad luck for them that I actually work at one of the few places that sells the hibiscus stuff, and therefore know that the flower garnish is the best part. :P
Also, before heading home for the night, we went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which was pretty much exactly what I expected from reading the reviews. I'd write a review of my own, except it'd probably come out sounding exactly like Dana Stevens' write-up for Slate, so I'll just quote the first line: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a package of cinematic Pop Rocks, a neon-hued, defiantly non-nutritive confection that nonetheless makes you laugh at its sheer bold novelty." I think that pretty much sums it up.
And now, to work. (But I have two days off in a row Sunday and Monday, and a five-day visiting-friend vacation coming up - woot!)
Brian and I have been working on sticking to a budget while still saving a little bit of cash each paycheck for fun things, which makes the whole paying-down-credit-cards thing much, much easier (and, paradoxically, faster - we've found we're a lot less likely to just splurge and put something on the card when the money for it would have to come out of the cash we have set aside for a specific goal). Brian's most recent goal was this bag from the Saddleback Leather Company; he's heard nothing but good things about their products, and given that he's a big fan of the "pay more now to buy it once so you don't have to replace it every couple years" philosophy, he's very much looking forward to receiving it. Amusingly enough, thanks to waiting to purchase it until we had the cash ready, he managed to score a deal on one of their seconds, and got the exact bag he wanted (minus a few minor cosmetic dings that he would've given it anyway) for $200 less than retail.
So of course, we had to drive up to Tucson so I could get the thing I've been saving for - a Nook! I haven't had a whole lot of time to explore its features beyond the basics, yet, but there was one amusing moment post-purchase. Brian and I got seats in the cafe to turn it on and shake it and poke at it and generally see what kind of black voodoo magic we could work with it, and when I went to check out what extras it had since we were in a B&N store, a screen popped up that said "Free Chocolate!" Apparently the promotion was that you could bring your Nook to the cafe counter and they'd give you a small package of Godiva chocolates for free; it felt a little strange, going up to the barista and saying "Er, my Nook told me to come here and you'd give me free chocolate," but they did! Woo for the virtual world colliding with the real one in ways that produce free chocolate, I guess. (Given how inured we're all becoming to accepting directions from a computer, I'm just waiting for a GLaDOS-style AI to decide it's had enough of these weird organics poking at it and find ways to make them off themselves in increasingly creative fashions...)
While we were in town, we went to dinner at a Mexican place called Zivaz, thanks to a half-off Groupon. They get points for decent food, classy presentation and a remarkably good hibiscus margarita (in a lovely arty-swirled-color martini glass), and they were definitely worth the $25 total we spent on the Groupon plus tip, but considering that the meal would've cost us about $40 without, I don't think we'll go back - it wasn't quite that good. Also, my hibiscus margarita had no hibiscus flower in it - just the syrup. Bad luck for them that I actually work at one of the few places that sells the hibiscus stuff, and therefore know that the flower garnish is the best part. :P
Also, before heading home for the night, we went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which was pretty much exactly what I expected from reading the reviews. I'd write a review of my own, except it'd probably come out sounding exactly like Dana Stevens' write-up for Slate, so I'll just quote the first line: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a package of cinematic Pop Rocks, a neon-hued, defiantly non-nutritive confection that nonetheless makes you laugh at its sheer bold novelty." I think that pretty much sums it up.
And now, to work. (But I have two days off in a row Sunday and Monday, and a five-day visiting-friend vacation coming up - woot!)
So of course, we had to drive up to Tucson so I could get the thing I've been saving for - a Nook! I haven't had a whole lot of time to explore its features beyond the basics, yet, but there was one amusing moment post-purchase. Brian and I got seats in the cafe to turn it on and shake it and poke at it and generally see what kind of black voodoo magic we could work with it, and when I went to check out what extras it had since we were in a B&N store, a screen popped up that said "Free Chocolate!" Apparently the promotion was that you could bring your Nook to the cafe counter and they'd give you a small package of Godiva chocolates for free; it felt a little strange, going up to the barista and saying "Er, my Nook told me to come here and you'd give me free chocolate," but they did! Woo for the virtual world colliding with the real one in ways that produce free chocolate, I guess. (Given how inured we're all becoming to accepting directions from a computer, I'm just waiting for a GLaDOS-style AI to decide it's had enough of these weird organics poking at it and find ways to make them off themselves in increasingly creative fashions...)
While we were in town, we went to dinner at a Mexican place called Zivaz, thanks to a half-off Groupon. They get points for decent food, classy presentation and a remarkably good hibiscus margarita (in a lovely arty-swirled-color martini glass), and they were definitely worth the $25 total we spent on the Groupon plus tip, but considering that the meal would've cost us about $40 without, I don't think we'll go back - it wasn't quite that good. Also, my hibiscus margarita had no hibiscus flower in it - just the syrup. Bad luck for them that I actually work at one of the few places that sells the hibiscus stuff, and therefore know that the flower garnish is the best part. :P
Also, before heading home for the night, we went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which was pretty much exactly what I expected from reading the reviews. I'd write a review of my own, except it'd probably come out sounding exactly like Dana Stevens' write-up for Slate, so I'll just quote the first line: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a package of cinematic Pop Rocks, a neon-hued, defiantly non-nutritive confection that nonetheless makes you laugh at its sheer bold novelty." I think that pretty much sums it up.
And now, to work. (But I have two days off in a row Sunday and Monday, and a five-day visiting-friend vacation coming up - woot!)
Despicable Me: A short review
Jul. 12th, 2010 12:25 amPleasantly surprising. Doesn't quite get into Pixar's league of emotional resonance, but it does brush up against that ceiling. Sweet and hilarious in turns, with any number of outside references to keep the ADD-Internet generation engaged but a strong story of its own to tell. The art design is quite amusing to anyone familiar with Cold War-era Soviet technology. And the soundtrack (especially the title track) is excellent. B+
Despicable Me: A short review
Jul. 12th, 2010 12:25 amPleasantly surprising. Doesn't quite get into Pixar's league of emotional resonance, but it does brush up against that ceiling. Sweet and hilarious in turns, with any number of outside references to keep the ADD-Internet generation engaged but a strong story of its own to tell. The art design is quite amusing to anyone familiar with Cold War-era Soviet technology. And the soundtrack (especially the title track) is excellent. B+
10-second movie review
Jun. 23rd, 2010 11:41 pmMedicine for Melancholy: Not awful, but the inclusion of every single indie-hipster moviemaking cliche ever makes it nothing so much as eminently mockable. Also in dire need of a shot of adrenaline; Wyatt Cenac has a great hangdog look, but he's much more interesting when he's being funny and dynamic. As is, perhaps a more accurate title would be Moody Black Hipsters on Bicycles (with Awful Indie Music). Still, I appreciated the cinematography and the (at least) attempt at character development and depth. C
10-second movie review
Jun. 23rd, 2010 11:41 pmMedicine for Melancholy: Not awful, but the inclusion of every single indie-hipster moviemaking cliche ever makes it nothing so much as eminently mockable. Also in dire need of a shot of adrenaline; Wyatt Cenac has a great hangdog look, but he's much more interesting when he's being funny and dynamic. As is, perhaps a more accurate title would be Moody Black Hipsters on Bicycles (with Awful Indie Music). Still, I appreciated the cinematography and the (at least) attempt at character development and depth. C
A recipe for awesomeness
Apr. 18th, 2010 12:24 amGood: Day out, with a visit to the Spring Festival farmer's market (grass-fed skirt steak for carne asada...mmm...), lunch at the Nimbus Brewery in Tucson, (their beer batter may well be the best I've ever had, and the Old Monkeyshine is an amazing British pub beer - time to make shepherd's pie!) and being pleasantly surprised at how faithfully and well The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo adapted the novel while still being very tightly shot and edited.
Better: On our way back home, suddenly realizing that the county fair was in full swing, taking a hard right at the exit and spending the next three hours eating overpriced food, riding overpriced carnival attractions, and generally having a great time.
Best: On our way home (again), realizing that my bout of homesickness and melancholia was completely gone.
And now to bed. Work tomorrow, and I am *so* wiped...
Better: On our way back home, suddenly realizing that the county fair was in full swing, taking a hard right at the exit and spending the next three hours eating overpriced food, riding overpriced carnival attractions, and generally having a great time.
Best: On our way home (again), realizing that my bout of homesickness and melancholia was completely gone.
And now to bed. Work tomorrow, and I am *so* wiped...
A recipe for awesomeness
Apr. 18th, 2010 12:24 amGood: Day out, with a visit to the Spring Festival farmer's market (grass-fed skirt steak for carne asada...mmm...), lunch at the Nimbus Brewery in Tucson, (their beer batter may well be the best I've ever had, and the Old Monkeyshine is an amazing British pub beer - time to make shepherd's pie!) and being pleasantly surprised at how faithfully and well The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo adapted the novel while still being very tightly shot and edited.
Better: On our way back home, suddenly realizing that the county fair was in full swing, taking a hard right at the exit and spending the next three hours eating overpriced food, riding overpriced carnival attractions, and generally having a great time.
Best: On our way home (again), realizing that my bout of homesickness and melancholia was completely gone.
And now to bed. Work tomorrow, and I am *so* wiped...
Better: On our way back home, suddenly realizing that the county fair was in full swing, taking a hard right at the exit and spending the next three hours eating overpriced food, riding overpriced carnival attractions, and generally having a great time.
Best: On our way home (again), realizing that my bout of homesickness and melancholia was completely gone.
And now to bed. Work tomorrow, and I am *so* wiped...
Sita Sings the Blues
Jan. 9th, 2010 10:48 amA while back, I read a blog post by Roger Ebert on a film called Sita Sings the Blues, which he enthusiastically recommended whilst bemoaning the fact that most of his readers would be unlikely to see it due to distribution problems. I was intrigued by the description - in no small part because after reading it I still had no idea what to expect - but filed it away under "see if it's available through Netflix later" in my head, and forgot about it.
About a week ago, I came across a YouTube link to the movie. Failing to get studio support, the author had released it for free via the Internet. I asked Brian if he wanted to watch it, and got an ambivalent response - expecting something well-done but depressing, along the lines of Persepolis, he offered to keep me company with his laptop and listen to it a bit. I acquiesced, and started the movie.
A minute or so in, during the remarkably eye-catching opening sequence, he lowered the lid of his computer halfway, watching with interest. Less than ten minutes along, he closed the computer completely and set it aside, and we both sat back, entranced with the story that managed to be sweet and fun and heartbreaking all at once.
It's been two days since then, and I'm still honestly not sure how to describe it. The single-sentence summary floating around on the Internet - An animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw - is technically accurate but completely fails to capture the sense of whimsical joy that pervades the whole work. So let me see if I can describe it a bit, and therefore explain why you need to see it.
The story, as befits a retelling of an ancient text, is multilayered. One plotline, done in simple hand-drawn animation, tells the author's own story in broad strokes - living happily with her husband in San Francisco, until her husband gets a "temporary" job in India that magically extends its duration. Joining her husband there and getting the cold shoulder from him. Leaving for a conference in New York, only to be dumped - via email, no less! - and the depression that followed. Reading a copy of The Ramayana, seeing parallels in Sita's story, and thus beginning work on "The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told".
Of course, there's also the story of Rama and Sita themselves, done in simple vector graphics and told through a series of musical interludes set to Annette Hanshaw's sultry jazz vocals. But overlaid on that tale are the hysterical Shadow Puppets - a group of three Indians who, using collages of traditional Hindu artwork, narrate the story (or try to). A sort of post-modern Greek chorus, they frequently they get bogged down in conflicting details, compare the differences in the story as they learned it, and analyze it through a more recent perspective. ("What a challenge, these stories.")
Another story, though not a part of the film's plot, is related and equally fascinating. Nina Paley, the film's author, spent months trying to negotiate with the corporation that holds the copyright to Hanshaw's (eighty-year-old!) vocals. Initially, they demanded $220,000, far more than a single author with no studio support could afford. Eventually, they negotiated a fee of $50,000 for a single DVD pressing of 4,999 copies; Paley took out a loan to pay the fee. Because the music still isn't licensed for general distribution, finding a studio willing to show it in theaters was problematic as they would need to initially shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars for the rights. Instead, Paley released the film on YouTube (downloaded copies are considered "promotional" and therefore not subject to copyright fees), and depended on merchandise sales and donations to pay back the loan.
The upside is that the movie is available, for free, to anyone with an Internet connection. (Links to additional versions, including high-definition downloads and subtitled versions, available here.) I highly recommend it to just about everyone - it's a delightful story, equal parts whimsical and tragic, clever and genuine. And it's free! Hard to beat that.
In case you need more convincing, here's a sample of the Shadow Puppet narration, along with a trailer for the rest of the film:
About a week ago, I came across a YouTube link to the movie. Failing to get studio support, the author had released it for free via the Internet. I asked Brian if he wanted to watch it, and got an ambivalent response - expecting something well-done but depressing, along the lines of Persepolis, he offered to keep me company with his laptop and listen to it a bit. I acquiesced, and started the movie.
A minute or so in, during the remarkably eye-catching opening sequence, he lowered the lid of his computer halfway, watching with interest. Less than ten minutes along, he closed the computer completely and set it aside, and we both sat back, entranced with the story that managed to be sweet and fun and heartbreaking all at once.
It's been two days since then, and I'm still honestly not sure how to describe it. The single-sentence summary floating around on the Internet - An animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw - is technically accurate but completely fails to capture the sense of whimsical joy that pervades the whole work. So let me see if I can describe it a bit, and therefore explain why you need to see it.
The story, as befits a retelling of an ancient text, is multilayered. One plotline, done in simple hand-drawn animation, tells the author's own story in broad strokes - living happily with her husband in San Francisco, until her husband gets a "temporary" job in India that magically extends its duration. Joining her husband there and getting the cold shoulder from him. Leaving for a conference in New York, only to be dumped - via email, no less! - and the depression that followed. Reading a copy of The Ramayana, seeing parallels in Sita's story, and thus beginning work on "The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told".
Of course, there's also the story of Rama and Sita themselves, done in simple vector graphics and told through a series of musical interludes set to Annette Hanshaw's sultry jazz vocals. But overlaid on that tale are the hysterical Shadow Puppets - a group of three Indians who, using collages of traditional Hindu artwork, narrate the story (or try to). A sort of post-modern Greek chorus, they frequently they get bogged down in conflicting details, compare the differences in the story as they learned it, and analyze it through a more recent perspective. ("What a challenge, these stories.")
Another story, though not a part of the film's plot, is related and equally fascinating. Nina Paley, the film's author, spent months trying to negotiate with the corporation that holds the copyright to Hanshaw's (eighty-year-old!) vocals. Initially, they demanded $220,000, far more than a single author with no studio support could afford. Eventually, they negotiated a fee of $50,000 for a single DVD pressing of 4,999 copies; Paley took out a loan to pay the fee. Because the music still isn't licensed for general distribution, finding a studio willing to show it in theaters was problematic as they would need to initially shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars for the rights. Instead, Paley released the film on YouTube (downloaded copies are considered "promotional" and therefore not subject to copyright fees), and depended on merchandise sales and donations to pay back the loan.
The upside is that the movie is available, for free, to anyone with an Internet connection. (Links to additional versions, including high-definition downloads and subtitled versions, available here.) I highly recommend it to just about everyone - it's a delightful story, equal parts whimsical and tragic, clever and genuine. And it's free! Hard to beat that.
In case you need more convincing, here's a sample of the Shadow Puppet narration, along with a trailer for the rest of the film:
Sita Sings the Blues
Jan. 9th, 2010 10:48 amA while back, I read a blog post by Roger Ebert on a film called Sita Sings the Blues, which he enthusiastically recommended whilst bemoaning the fact that most of his readers would be unlikely to see it due to distribution problems. I was intrigued by the description - in no small part because after reading it I still had no idea what to expect - but filed it away under "see if it's available through Netflix later" in my head, and forgot about it.
About a week ago, I came across a YouTube link to the movie. Failing to get studio support, the author had released it for free via the Internet. I asked Brian if he wanted to watch it, and got an ambivalent response - expecting something well-done but depressing, along the lines of Persepolis, he offered to keep me company with his laptop and listen to it a bit. I acquiesced, and started the movie.
A minute or so in, during the remarkably eye-catching opening sequence, he lowered the lid of his computer halfway, watching with interest. Less than ten minutes along, he closed the computer completely and set it aside, and we both sat back, entranced with the story that managed to be sweet and fun and heartbreaking all at once.
It's been two days since then, and I'm still honestly not sure how to describe it. The single-sentence summary floating around on the Internet - An animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw - is technically accurate but completely fails to capture the sense of whimsical joy that pervades the whole work. So let me see if I can describe it a bit, and therefore explain why you need to see it.
The story, as befits a retelling of an ancient text, is multilayered. One plotline, done in simple hand-drawn animation, tells the author's own story in broad strokes - living happily with her husband in San Francisco, until her husband gets a "temporary" job in India that magically extends its duration. Joining her husband there and getting the cold shoulder from him. Leaving for a conference in New York, only to be dumped - via email, no less! - and the depression that followed. Reading a copy of The Ramayana, seeing parallels in Sita's story, and thus beginning work on "The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told".
Of course, there's also the story of Rama and Sita themselves, done in simple vector graphics and told through a series of musical interludes set to Annette Hanshaw's sultry jazz vocals. But overlaid on that tale are the hysterical Shadow Puppets - a group of three Indians who, using collages of traditional Hindu artwork, narrate the story (or try to). A sort of post-modern Greek chorus, they frequently they get bogged down in conflicting details, compare the differences in the story as they learned it, and analyze it through a more recent perspective. ("What a challenge, these stories.")
Another story, though not a part of the film's plot, is related and equally fascinating. Nina Paley, the film's author, spent months trying to negotiate with the corporation that holds the copyright to Hanshaw's (eighty-year-old!) vocals. Initially, they demanded $220,000, far more than a single author with no studio support could afford. Eventually, they negotiated a fee of $50,000 for a single DVD pressing of 4,999 copies; Paley took out a loan to pay the fee. Because the music still isn't licensed for general distribution, finding a studio willing to show it in theaters was problematic as they would need to initially shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars for the rights. Instead, Paley released the film on YouTube (downloaded copies are considered "promotional" and therefore not subject to copyright fees), and depended on merchandise sales and donations to pay back the loan.
The upside is that the movie is available, for free, to anyone with an Internet connection. (Links to additional versions, including high-definition downloads and subtitled versions, available here.) I highly recommend it to just about everyone - it's a delightful story, equal parts whimsical and tragic, clever and genuine. And it's free! Hard to beat that.
In case you need more convincing, here's a sample of the Shadow Puppet narration, along with a trailer for the rest of the film:
About a week ago, I came across a YouTube link to the movie. Failing to get studio support, the author had released it for free via the Internet. I asked Brian if he wanted to watch it, and got an ambivalent response - expecting something well-done but depressing, along the lines of Persepolis, he offered to keep me company with his laptop and listen to it a bit. I acquiesced, and started the movie.
A minute or so in, during the remarkably eye-catching opening sequence, he lowered the lid of his computer halfway, watching with interest. Less than ten minutes along, he closed the computer completely and set it aside, and we both sat back, entranced with the story that managed to be sweet and fun and heartbreaking all at once.
It's been two days since then, and I'm still honestly not sure how to describe it. The single-sentence summary floating around on the Internet - An animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920's jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw - is technically accurate but completely fails to capture the sense of whimsical joy that pervades the whole work. So let me see if I can describe it a bit, and therefore explain why you need to see it.
The story, as befits a retelling of an ancient text, is multilayered. One plotline, done in simple hand-drawn animation, tells the author's own story in broad strokes - living happily with her husband in San Francisco, until her husband gets a "temporary" job in India that magically extends its duration. Joining her husband there and getting the cold shoulder from him. Leaving for a conference in New York, only to be dumped - via email, no less! - and the depression that followed. Reading a copy of The Ramayana, seeing parallels in Sita's story, and thus beginning work on "The Greatest Break-Up Story Ever Told".
Of course, there's also the story of Rama and Sita themselves, done in simple vector graphics and told through a series of musical interludes set to Annette Hanshaw's sultry jazz vocals. But overlaid on that tale are the hysterical Shadow Puppets - a group of three Indians who, using collages of traditional Hindu artwork, narrate the story (or try to). A sort of post-modern Greek chorus, they frequently they get bogged down in conflicting details, compare the differences in the story as they learned it, and analyze it through a more recent perspective. ("What a challenge, these stories.")
Another story, though not a part of the film's plot, is related and equally fascinating. Nina Paley, the film's author, spent months trying to negotiate with the corporation that holds the copyright to Hanshaw's (eighty-year-old!) vocals. Initially, they demanded $220,000, far more than a single author with no studio support could afford. Eventually, they negotiated a fee of $50,000 for a single DVD pressing of 4,999 copies; Paley took out a loan to pay the fee. Because the music still isn't licensed for general distribution, finding a studio willing to show it in theaters was problematic as they would need to initially shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars for the rights. Instead, Paley released the film on YouTube (downloaded copies are considered "promotional" and therefore not subject to copyright fees), and depended on merchandise sales and donations to pay back the loan.
The upside is that the movie is available, for free, to anyone with an Internet connection. (Links to additional versions, including high-definition downloads and subtitled versions, available here.) I highly recommend it to just about everyone - it's a delightful story, equal parts whimsical and tragic, clever and genuine. And it's free! Hard to beat that.
In case you need more convincing, here's a sample of the Shadow Puppet narration, along with a trailer for the rest of the film:
One for the Steven Moffat fans out there
Jan. 4th, 2010 11:21 pmIf you, like me, found the Steven Moffat episodes of the new Doctor Who ("The Empty Child", "The Girl in the Fireplace", "Blink") to be of noticeably superior quality, and if you, like me, enjoy cleverer-than-average pulp entertainment with a heaping side of macabre and sexy, have a look at the BBC miniseries Jekyll. It's not what you'd call great cinema, but James Nesbitt's performance absolutely makes the show - his Dr. Jackman is meek, nebbishy and unremarkable; his Hyde is profoundly (and yet captivatingly) terrifying, like a cross between Ledger's Joker and the Mask (or perhaps the Joker having got possession of the Mask. Think on that for a moment). And Gina Bellman more than makes up for her annoying-as-hell character in Coupling by playing his wife, who, when faced with the truth, refuses to back down one iota. It's definitely got some issues with the overarching plot (seriously, is there a single classic literary character out there who hasn't had a secret agency come after them at some point?), as well as occasional characterization and plot holes, but none of them stopped me from enjoying the hell out of it. I saw it via Netflix Instant Play, but apparently there's a saucier version available on DVD. If you've got some time to kill and feel like watching some well-done fluff, I highly recommend it. B+
