#fantastic mr. fox was my first ever viewing of one of his movies

[illiana-mystery]

My favorite Wes Anderson movie is The Grand Budapest Hotel, but The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is definitely a close second.

[attemptsonherlifepdf]

fantastic mr fox: humanising animals, animalising men, and an exploration of masculine identity

‘this story is too predictable.’ / ‘predictable? really? what happens in the end?’ / ‘in the end, we all die. unless you change.’

mr fox, the titular character of wes anderson’s 2009 stop-motion adaptation of roald dahl’s children’s book, is a portrait of two conflicting manifestations of masculinity. he is built to demonstrate the crossover between tradition and modernity, between wild and civilised. characterised as a charming gentleman, almost renowned for his recklessness, mr fox combines his undomesticated instincts with a carefully crafted domestic life. he appears to spend more time manufacturing a perfect home and family than he does actually participating in it. the events of the movie serve to strip away his facade and present both the audience and protagonist with a harsh reality to deal with: the juxtaposing aspects of his identity that he must contend with in order to survive his situation. these aspects are demonstrated through the use of anthropomorphic animals. in essence, the text attempts to convey the message that while you can associate your actions with animal or human traits in order to characterise and frame them, you cannot change their value and their consequences. it serves as a critique of how the nature of male identity is exploited to shunt responsibility, and the movie specifically promotes a more collectivist mentality.

there are four key scenes that mark mr fox’s journey in terms of his identity. initially, we first see his identity openly questioned once he has moved into a new home (a large and expensive tree), just prior to him revealing his ‘master plan’ to kylie, who becomes his assistant of sorts. he asks, ‘why a fox? why not a horse, or a beetle, or a bald eagle? i’m saying this more as, like, existentialism, you know? who am i? and how can a fox ever be happy without, you’ll forgive the expression, a chicken in its teeth?’ he attributes his identity with the ability to fulfil his base desires, like he could in his youth. aspects of his later life such as employment, family, and safety restrict his ability and leaves him feeling untethered from himself. the movie opens with his youthful vibrance and recklessness, and is quickly contrasted with his dissatisfaction with his job, home, and life in general.

MR FOX

i dont want to live in a hole anymore. it makes me feel poor.

MRS FOX

we are poor, but we’re happy.

MR FOX

comme ci, come ca...

does anyone actually read my column?

having been moved out of the hole and into an expensive tree, mrs fox asks her husband:

MRS FOX

do you still feel poor?

MR FOX

less so.

constructing the ideal domestic space for himself and his family does not satisfy mr fox and he yearns for more, which is where is existentialism and ‘master plan’ come into play. domesticity was never going to satisfy mr fox, as he yearns for something youthful and risky and dazzling, adjectives not usually applied to a quiet and content home life. the consequences of this dissatisfaction are drastic and almost immediate.

soon, having been forced out of his new home and underground by an attack from the farmers, mr fox is faced with a situation he cannot charm his way out of. he attempts to apologise to his son and recite a speech to raise the morale of his family, and both of these attempts are shut down by those around him. the facade of his elaborate home, his monologues, even his suits, are abruptly stripped away leaving him with only his actions which he cannot charm his way out of. the reality is that he and his family, his neighbourhood, is stuck underground with no means of food as a result of his selfish actions. this prompts yet another key scene; his argument with felicity, which begins with her viciously hissing and scratching his face.

MRS FOX

why did you lie to me?

MR FOX

because im a wild animal.

MRS FOX

you are also a husband, and a father.

MR FOX

im trying to tell you the truth about myself.

MRS FOX

i dont care about the truth about yourself. this story is too predictable.

MR FOX

predictable? really? what happens in the end?

MRS FOX

in the end, we all die. unless you change.

mrs fox’s physical attack on her husbands face serves as a display of genuine animal ferocity, making mr fox’s claim to being a ‘wild animal’ appear as a flimsy excuse for his behaviour. his chicken theft, which he was insistent upon regardless of the consequences, was motivated not by animal instincts but a selfish desire to feel a particular version of his own masculinity. disregarding the safety of his family actually seems like a natural byproduct of his master plans because he is trying to reclaim his masculinity from a time before his family existed, and in his eyes, restricted him. the very recent loss of his tail, combined with this conversation with his wife, is a harsh reality check for mr fox in terms of the dangers of his masculinity.

the audience sees the outcome of this conversation later on, in the waterfall scene. here mr fox admits to his insecurities and suggests sacrificing himself to the farmers to save the local community.

MR FOX

darling, maybe they’ll let everyone else live!

…

MR FOX

foxes traditionally like to court danger, hunt prey and outsmart predators, and that’s what im actually good at…i guess at the end of the day im just-

MRS FOX

i know. we’re wild animals.

the difference between this admission to animalism and the one from his argument with felicity is that here, both parties gain some acceptance of their animalism without using it as an excuse for their behaviour. the inclusion of others in animalism – ‘we’re’ wild animals, rather than ‘i am’ a wild animal – contributes to illustrate how wildness is not specific to masculinity. it is not femininity vs masculinity but animals vs man.

the movie also questions the nature of an animal in the final key scene known as ‘canis lupus.’ wes Anderson referred to this scene as ‘the reason im making this movie.’ throughout the movie, mr fox alludes to his ‘phobia of wolves’ and shuts down any conversation surrounding them:

MR FOX

scared? no, i have a phobia of them!...a wolf? what’s with all the wolf talk? can we give it a rest for once?

arguably, these reactions are representative of mr fox’s aversion to competitive masculinity. he shuts down any opportunity for those around him to discuss something he sees as more masculine than himself in order to feel secure in his own masculinity. critic shana mlawski argues that ‘the wolf is described as the wildest, most frightening, and yet most beautiful creature in the world. mr fox fears the wolf and yet wants to be exactly like him. we can thus say that mr fox fears pure, wild masculinity yet also yearns to own it himself.’ the scene holds an eerie familiarity to it; mr fox is recognising something that he thought would be a reflection of himself, but the wild animal is no longer familiar to him anymore. he now accepts his role as a husband and a father and no longer fights to overtly express his animalism in the same way as the wolf. the most he can offer the wolf is raising his fist in solidarity. he calls out to the wolf, ‘i have a phobia of wolves!’, which is an interesting moment to admit this in. it’s his acceptance that allows him to admit this. the scene is entirely compromised of male characters: mr fox, kristofferson, ash, kylie and the wolf. mr fox’s admission to his fear allows him to be vulnerable in front of these people he cares about, and to use this as a teaching moment for the young boys.

MR FOX

what a beautiful creature. wish him luck out there, boys.

here mr fox openly admits his admiration for someone else’s masculinity in front of others without showing signs of his own insecurity. he can admire the wolf for what he is without seeing him as competition. the scene allows the audience to see and directly compare two forms of masculinity and animalism, and to understand that there is no one true expression of either of those traits. the wolf has connotations of violence and ferocity, whereas mr fox and his suit and display of multilingualism are entirely modern, but both are masculine animals who are valid in their own right. either way, both animals rely on violence for survival at times.

kupfer frames violence in three ways: symbolically, structurally and as a narrative essential. there are various forms of violence within this narrative, namely mr fox killing chickens and squabs, and the three farmers’ attack on the animal community. symbolically, mr fox’s chicken theft is attributed to his masculinity. while it is often presented as thought-out ‘master plans’, his desire to enact this violence in the first place supposedly stems from his ‘wild animal’ instincts. he associates a time where he felt secure in his masculinity with his actions at the time (violence). structurally, we see the potential for this violence in the opening scene, where mr fox takes his wife chicken-stealing and they become trapped. he is stuck in a fox trap with his wife when he receives the news of his impending fatherhood, a relatively obvious symbol for his view of fatherhood in general. the news of his wife’s pregnancy disrupts his ability to continue stealing chickens, not just on this specific occasion but through the coming years as well. mr fox appears to view family life as an unfulfilling, less raw expression of his masculinity, and is shown to be wholly dissatisfied with his life.

the violence on the farmers’ behalf is almost always in reaction to mr fox’s violence, already giving it a structural framing. boggis, bunch and bean are referred to early on in the film as the ‘meanest, nastiest and ugliest farmers on the side of the river.’ their violence against mr fox and subsequently the local animal community is an attempt to gain back power and status. mr fox’s actions are “humiliating’ and the local news coverage of this exchange between the farmers and animals raises the stakes as now the reputation of these farmers is on the line as well as their power. violence here serves as a narrative essential because it drives mr fox into a situation that forces him to confront his issues with masculinity and splitting between his animal and human traits, giving the text/movie a fulfilling arc. violence is

introduced as inherently masculine, but is decoupled from masculinity by the ending. mrs fox also plays a small but significant role in this; at various moments in the movie she exhibits her own displays of aggression equal in intensity to the men around her, suggesting to the audience that forms of violence should be categorised as human vs animal rather than male vs female. examples of this behaviour include her clawing at her husband’s face, and a parallel between her and a male human character wherein they both connect two wires and shout ‘contact!’, causing an explosion. while this moment is brief, it highlights a distinct difference between animals being violent and men. humans’ aggression is driven by the need for power, whereas that of animals is driven by the need for survival. the man paralleled with felicity only sparked the explosion to destroy mr fox’s home and assert the dominance of the three farmers, while mrs fox used the same form of violence to enact a plan to save her nephew’s life. petey’s song even alludes to this sentiment: ‘well he stole, and he cheated, and he lied just to survive.’

mr fox’s tail becomes a symbol of power; bean wears it as a necktie, and mr fox feels emasculated by his loss.

MR FOX

one of those slovenly farmers is probably wearing my tail as a necktie right now.

…

BADGER

i cant even imagine how painful, even just emotionally, that must be for you… oh but foxy how humiliating, having your tail blown clean off by-

MR FOX

can we drop it?

the use of the tail as a necktie is a symbol of the power that mr fox and the farmers end up jostling to achieve: at first it belongs to mr fox, then to the farmers, and is eventually reclaimed once more by the fox.

MR FOX

you shot off my tail.

[through gritted teeth] i’m not leaving here without that necktie.

when he reclaims his tail towards the end of the movie, it has been torn to shreds and needs ‘dry cleaning twice a week’ to maintain itself. this can be interpreted as a symbol for his evolved definitions of masculinity and power: his masculinity is no longer defined by impressing people or stealing or killing chickens, but in the quiet satisfaction of having a family. the final scene reveals that mrs fox is pregnant again, and instead of her glowing and her husband giving an awkward grin like in the opening scene, both of the spouses ‘glow.’ the structural framing of these pregnancy reveals bookending the events of the movie allows anderson to demonstrate mr fox’s growth and change in his priorities. the domestic life appears to be enough for him, and he no longer seems to find it emasculating,

what stands out as particularly modern about mr fox is how he unconsciously separates himself from both his wildness and his suburban self in his effort to combine them. he uses his ‘wildness’ as an excuse for his violence and selfishness, but is ultimately not willing to participate in truly wild forms of violence and selfishness, such has hunting. his chicken thefts always include infiltrating a human site, like boggis, bunce and bean’s farms, and the fun of it is in outsmarting them, rather than finding those animals himself out in the wild. the local animal community essentially functions as we would expect a rural village occupied by humans to function: everyone knows everyone, there is one local school and various small and quaint homes. while the setting reflects anderson’s signature style, it is also reflective of dahl’s framing of the community in the original text.

mr fox comes across as an individual who believes himself to be above the somewhat backward mentality of his village, that he is the most civilised and dazzling and original, and he exaggerates these traits in himself out of insecurity: ‘if they arent dazzled and blown away and kind of intimidated by me, then i dont feel good about myself.’this is also reflected in his consistent ‘trademark’, his whistle-and-click combination that he uses to set himself apart from other foxes. his home is also a reflection of this:

MRS FOX

you know, foxes live in holes for a reason.

MR FOX

[grunts and tilts head in disagreement]

yes and no.

this insecurity and desire for outsider approval and individuality is inherently human, a quality of his that cannot really be associated with his animalised parts. this precarious sense of identity and self doubt separates him from his ‘wildness’ as it stands, which is only intensified by the fact that he compensates by exaggerating his human traits in order to be liked and feel worthy, as those are the traits he believes have the most value. towards the end of mr fox’s character arc, he is forced to admit that his need for external validation is flawed and unsustainable. when the façade of carefully constructed grandeur is literally washed away by bean, he is left with nothing but his actions and their implications for those around him. foxy reconciles with the relative insignificance of an identity based on other’s perceptions of you when rat dies soon after, reacting to the suggestion that he redeemed himself last minute by revealing ash’s location:

MR FOX

redemption? sure. but in the end, he’s just another dead rat in a garbage pail behind a chinese restaurant.

this moment is also used to inadvertently allow the audience to evaluate the significance of motivation and intention to the value of an action. although rat did reveal useful information to aid the group in saving Kristofferson, mr fox recognises that he only did so because he realised he could not win this fight.

MR FOX

would you have told me if i didn’t kill you first?

RAT

never.

mr fox’s own motivations throughout the movie have devalued his actions as they have mostly been self-serving. as his motivations evolve to centre around his family, he gains the perspective to understand why one’s intentions are so important. while intention does not entirely dictate how good one’s actions are, they certainly characterise the person who’s action it is. your actions have value and consequences as they are, and that cannot be changed by dressing them up or animalising them to distance yourself.

in essence, fantastic mr fox is a lesson in the value of including those around you in your mentality and worldview. it paints masculinity as something that is inherent and complex in nature, but promotes the idea that it is not stuck with its traditional connotations of violence and egoism. mr fox’s emotional development throughout the text mostly centres around his own insecurities surrounding his masculinity and how that causes him to overcompensate in ways that harm those around him. by the end he recognises that more tame and domestic forms of masculinity are just as valid, and that basing his self-worth on how ‘dazzled’ his peers are by him is immature and not constructive. his family now liberates him and allows him to be vulnerable rather than restricting how he feels he can express himself, and as a unit the animals beat the farmers in their game of power-seeking. mr fox recognises and appreciates both his human and animal traits, without using them as a means to excuse his behaviour or to feel bad about his worth.

MR FOX

i guess my point is, we’ll eat tonight, and we’ll eat together. and even in this not particularly flattering light, you are without a doubt the five and a half most wonderful wild animals ive ever met in my life. so let’s raise our boxes – to our survival.

i.k.b

[solalunar-eclipse]

Sonic Boom - S3E1

Episode title: Friendship 101

Word count: about 3000 words

Author’s Note: I’m trying a rather new format for this fic, since it’s based on a TV show with various songs and camera angles. If you have any comments about whether it works well or not, please let me know!

(Also, the theme song choice is all thanks to khinesthetic, who used it here and inspired me to put it in this fic.)

Next

[cue Mr. Blue Sky by ELO (0:00-3:45)]

[The show opens on a zoomed-out view of Hedgehog Village from above. Stone walls separate the village from the wilderness outside. There are large spaces at several points throughout the structure for entry and exit. A large patch of grass with benches scattered about sits at one end of the village, and a marketplace made up of wood-and-cloth stalls runs along one of the walls. Houses are grouped in seemingly random clusters throughout the town, and the (in)famous Meh Burger stand sits all on its own, with picnic tables spread across its wooden flooring. As the music progresses, the camera begins to zoom in on the village- then on one of the streets in particular- and rotates down to eye level to face…]

Sonic the Hedgehog walked through the streets of Hedgehog Village with a bounce in his step, occasionally dancing to the music playing through his earbuds. As he wandered throughout the town, he passed the usual people running their stores, arguing over botched orders at Meh Burger, and, at one point, Aqua the Rabbit absolutely freaking out over the loss of a single follower on Angstagram (the latest social media network for moody teens).

He did a 360-degree spin before winking and pointing finger guns at Amy Rose when he spotted her haggling with the local grocery store owner. She paused briefly to wave at him with a smile. “Hi, Sonic!” she called, completely ignoring the irritated fennec in the process.

Then, the music froze and changed to something extremely ominous as she turned around to face the shopkeeper once more. A dangerous gleam appeared in her eyes as she pulled out her signature hammer. “Now then, about those prices you’ve been setting lately…”

The song cut back in as the view switched back to Sonic, who was now moving away from the scene at a slightly faster pace.

Really, though, he was more than happy to see his other friends not long after. Knuckles and Sticks were currently busy rummaging through the town’s garbage together, excitedly chatting about the latest piece of interesting junk they’d found, while Tails was fixing someone’s broken rain gutter (and attempting to ‘improve’ it in the process, which meant that it could now measure the amount and intensity of rainfall in a storm- a very useful, though unfortunately unwanted improvement).

Surprisingly enough, as he continued on his way through Hedgehog Village, he managed to get people from a few different places to wave back at him when he said hello. Although perhaps it wasn’t quite so surprising when one considered that this was one of the most cliched opening sequences that could possibly happen in any movie or TV show. Ever.

And of course, the only logical outcome of this scene led to everyone beginning to stop their usual activities and gather in one of the few open spaces in the town, clearly prepared to break into a fantastic musical dance number straight out of Broadway. Incredibly, this was one of the few moments in which everyone in the village seemed to be able to get along…

...until Eggman’s latest giant robot slammed feet-first into the ground, sending everyone off-kilter and scrambling for cover. Shrieks of panic rose in place of the music as the villagers fled the scene to hide in their houses. The dramatic entrance didn’t just ruin the mood, it absolutely crushed it with the sheer force of its impact.

And that was, obviously, when the show really began.

[cue In Your Face by Shockwave Sound (0:00-1:04)] 

[Each of the five members of Team Sonic appears on a black screen with their name spelled out in their signature colors (blue, yellow, red, pink, and green) and does a couple of cool fighting moves, followed by snippets of scenes featuring them from previous episodes of the show for about eight seconds each. All five of them then appear together in their usual fighting stances, emphasizing their status as a team.

The Eggman logo then appears in an ominous, glowing red, backlighting the doctor himself and all his creations- before the lights flick on to reveal him alone in his evil lair with a green screen behind him, at which point he shrieks and covers the camera with a hand. Then, neon blue electronic lines begin to appear across the screen and the camera spirals to follow them, selecting one particular line to trace. Not long after, said line ends at a circle which, with a flash, turns into the words ‘Sonic Boom’. Beneath the title, it says ‘Ancient Secrets’ in neon blue.]

[Then the music ends, at which point the episode title- “Friendship 101”- appears for a few seconds in the same color before the show itself returns.]

Sonic scrambled to his feet and zipped over to Tails, pulling him up from where he’d fallen after the robot’s overdramatic arrival. Amy managed to do the same with both Knuckles and Sticks simultaneously, which let Sonic stare for a moment, startled, and then promptly resolve to remember not to get on her bad side anytime soon.

Soon enough, the team had scrambled into their usual positions, ready to fight. Amy and Sticks kicked the battle off by handling the various smaller robots that threatened to get too close to their team, never faltering (and in fact seeming a bit gleeful in the badger’s case) despite the sheer number of enemies. Knuckles, meanwhile, launched Sonic bodily into the air for Tails to catch, before picking up a boulder about the size of a house and lobbing it directly at the robot’s chest.

“Hey! Easy with the boulders- QuakeBot took a lot of effort to make, you know!” Eggman shrieked from above, hovering in the relative safety of his Eggmobile. 

(Relative, in this case, was of course in comparison to mixing absurdly volatile chemicals in a lab, bothering Shadow at any and/or all hours of the day, or being on Tails’s bad side when the fox had a glue gun. The doctor still remembered that situation all too well, and currently ranked it as far more terrifying than merely being punted into the stratosphere by kids under half his height and about a third his age.)

Sonic paused to stare at Eggman from where he was currently dangling in the air. A smirk began to spread slowly across his face. “…what did you just call it?”

“You heard me the first time!” the doctor roared, now incredibly embarrassed. “I named it that since it makes the ground shake when it moves, like an earthquake??”

General laughter came from the heroes assembled on the ground and in the sky.

“Argh! Nobody appreciates my genius around here! Now, QuakeBot, stop standing around and start attacking!”

“I suggested TerraBot, since it still has to do with earth and is a play on the word ‘terror’, but nobody ever listens to my ideas, now do they?” Orbot muttered irritably to himself, tucked inside the Eggmobile.

“I listen to all your ideas!” Cubot offered encouragingly.

Orbot’s mouth shifted into a small smile. “Thanks, Cubot.”

Meanwhile, Sonic had been pulled into a spin by Tails, who whirled the hedgehog around before letting him shoot downwards toward the robot in a spin dash- only for him to get caught and sent flying into the nearest house.

He shook off the surprise quickly (and apparently sustained absolutely zero damage despite having literally crashed through a house, because superpowered teenagers), darting back over to the group. “Well, uh, guess it’s time for Plan B then!”

Crickets chirped in the ensuing silence. Even the robot had stopped moving to hear what he had to say.

“And the plan is…?” Amy prompted.

Sonic folded his arms with a huff. “I dunno, I thought you guys would have one!?”

The pink hedgehog rolled her eyes at that. 

Tails piped up. “I have an idea! Sonic, you’re going to need to be curled up for this, okay?”

The hero promptly did just that, before emitting a muffled “mmhmm?” from inside his layers of quills.

“Alright then, Amy, I need you to hit Sonic with your hammer right at the side of this house.”

Sonic’s blood ran cold. “Whoa whoa whoa, wait a second can we maybe rethink thiaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHH!”

He ricocheted all over the palace like a pinball, slamming into several key points of the robot thanks to Tails’s rapid calculations. However, the robot was sadly unaffected by his screaming at a pitch that came dangerously close to shattering glass.

The robot was easily disabled and the attack overall quickly repelled after that. Thankfully, it took Sonic only a moment to recover from his impromptu stint as an out-of-control projectile and get back to fighting with the others…complete with a “Let’s do that AGAIN!” moment, which was met with a resounding no from both Amy and Tails. 

Their ears were both still rather sore from last time, after all.

After Eggman was punted all the way back to his island by a well-placed kick from Sticks, though, the crew was about to head over to Meh Burger for a post-battle meal when they discovered that they had an entirely different problem to take care of. The villagers, who were beginning to come out of hiding after the attack, were furious upon seeing the damage dealt to their homes and stores.

“How could you let this happen?” one shouted.

Before long, the villagers found themselves a more specific target when the owner of the house that Sonic had smashed into pointed her finger directly in his face. “This mess is awful!” she cried. “And it’s all his fault!”

Within seconds, a mob of people had descended upon the overtaxed teen.

“I’ve never known a hero so irresponsible.” one fumed.

“How dare you!” the fennec from earlier roared.

The elderly wolf of the village shook her cane at him. “Shame on you!”

Sonic could feel himself beginning to tense up as the villagers turned their ire on him. Whether or not he’d admit it to anyone, he needed two main things in order to be his usual heroic, cheerful self: open space and positive reinforcement. Right now, he was getting exactly the opposite of both of those.

And he was not feeling good about it.

He looked briefly over to his friends for help, but Sticks had already vanished, Knuckles and Tails looked more nervous than anything, and Amy was already walking towards him with that look in her eye…

“Sonic, next time you do need to work on making sure the robot doesn’t catch you, you know-”

A streak of blue shot out of the village, leaving nothing but a scorched trail of grass and the snap of a sonic boom behind.

Sonic didn’t slow down until he reached the mountains- which technically wasn’t very far from the town at all, so he ran quite a bit more after that until he ended up in the middle of the jungle. Then, he sat down with his back to a tree and his arms around his knees, feeling very unheroic and overall pretty lame.

The blue hedgehog frowned at the dirt. Honestly, some days it really did feel like nobody seemed to like him. The only person who ever even suggested he was important on a regular basis was Tails, and Sonic didn’t blame him at all for not jumping into the middle of that crowd. Tails was only thirteen to his seventeen and a half years old- not exactly an age when he should be expected to go toe-to-toe with a crowd of angry adults.

Still, though. When being a hero got him all risk (no matter how low) and no reward...it was difficult for him to keep hold of that core feeling of “I can make the world a better place to live in!”, which, despite all his other claims, was truly at the center of what had motivated him to start fighting against Eggman so long ago…

[The scene morphs in a manner which shows the lighting shifting so that the sun is overhead. A sound effect of birds chirping plays over the scene change. This implies that it’s been several hours since he first fled the village.]

Sonic was still lost in thought when the snap of a twig in the bushes made him jump to his feet in surprise. The surrounding vegetation rustled ominously for a moment...only to reveal the four members of his team in front of him. He watched them all cautiously, his expression tense. More than anything, he looked ready to run at a moment’s notice- something which only served to make his friends(?) seem a little more distressed. “Uh…hey, guys?” he began tentatively.

“Sonic, I…” Amy began forcefully, before stopping herself. At first, it looked like she was about to scold him again, but then suddenly her face fell. “Listen, Sonic, we’ve all been talking a lot about what happened back at the village…and there’s something I want to say.” She gave a slightly tired sigh. 

“I know we usually like to make jokes and witty commentary, but...sometimes, the world’s just a difficult place to be in.” she said. “...so we really do need to talk about serious stuff occasionally, even though I know it’s tough for you to even mention how you’re feeling. Unless, you know, it’s ‘great!’ or ‘cool!’ or something like that.”

Sonic cringed at the mere idea, looking more and more like he thought running away was the preferable option here.

“So what I wanted to say was that in a world where there are too many people trying to beat you down...what I was trying to do was tell you how to be more tolerant, because I thought that would help. I figured you can’t change how other people are going to be, just yourself, so I hoped that might make things better.

“But...I’m not actually a licensed therapist- yet, anyway. So I might have been wrong on how I went about that. Maybe...instead of telling you off for not being able to stop all those people...in the future I’ll pull out my hammer and tell them to knock it off already. Does that sound better to you?” she asked.

The blue hedgehog froze. “Ames…I...” he croaked, trying his best not to think about why exactly it felt like his throat was so tight all of a sudden.

Sticks folded her arms. “I like that plan! Those people are way too crazy sometimes…and you guys know I have a verrrrry high tolerance for crazy.”

“We can make the villagers quit bugging you together, just like how we fight Eggman!” Knuckles added encouragingly. “It’s always better that way, isn’t it?”

There was still one person who hadn’t spoken yet, though.

Suddenly, Tails crashed full-force into Sonic, squeezing him in a hug that for once he didn’t pretend to hate. “You know I’ve always, always, always got your back, right, Sonic? No matter what?” he asked, looking up at his older brother. “Even if I don’t always know how to do it right.”

The blue hedgehog simply nodded, not trusting his voice to help him maintain his ‘cool guy’ status.

“It’s okay if you don’t feel up to talking about it now, though.” the fox added understandingly, stepping back but still leaving a hand on his arm. 

“But!” Knuckles added. “We won’t tell anyone if you ever decide you do need to get some stress off your chest every once in a while!” He smacked his own chest with a fist for emphasis.

“Nobody needs to know.” Sticks growled, the camera suddenly showing a dramatic angle of her face as the lighting dropped noticeably.

“Uh…that’s kinda dark.” Sonic said, holding up a finger with a bit of a confused frown, which let the lighting and camera angle zip back to normal.

“Anyway!” The pink hedgehog clapped her hands together, turning to face the group as a whole. “What do you guys think about heading over to my house and watching some movies? I’ll even…” She sighed, her whole body slumping. “…make some messy, simple, unprofessional chili dogs. In my state-of-the art kitchen. I know Sonic probably could use a pick-me-up right now, after all.”

“Thanks, Ames! You’re the best!” the hedgehog in question said cheerfully, the promise of good food and great companionship boosting his mood significantly.

Then, his posture shifted once again into something a little more vulnerable. “And thanks to all you guys. For, y’know, everything.”

“Of course!” Amy chirped.

Tails smiled at him. “No problem, Sonic.”

Sticks folded her arms. “That’s what a team’s for, ain’t it?”

“Of course it is!” Knuckles said, in that rather confusing manner where nobody was actually sure if he understood anything about what had just happened.

The echidna actually walked over to Sonic after that particular declaration, though, placing a hand on his shoulder as his face became uncharacteristically serious for a second. “Really, Sonic, we can all help you out, alright? Nobody gets to yell at our leader without getting yelled at back!” he declared, punching a fist into his other hand.

The hedgehog blinked twice before looking up at his friend. “You…just called me the leader?”

“Well, duh! That’s why everyone calls it Team Sonic, right?” Knuckles asked with a smile, letting an awkward (but genuine) grin spread across Sonic’s face.

Within seconds, the hero found himself squeezed in a big hug from all sides by his friends- and then actually lifted off the floor through a joint effort from Knuckles and Amy. 

“Guys- come on! I can’t even move here!” he cried out, his legs flailing so quickly they made a vibrating noise in the air. “Guyyyyssss….” he whined, though nobody seemed to care much about his halfhearted complaints (judging by the happy expressions on their faces).

Then, the episode began to end, as evidenced by an iris out transition. The slowly shrinking circle paused for a moment on Sonic’s current expression, highlighting it against the otherwise black screen. He now sported a sheepish, if slightly pleased smile, complete with a faint pink blush on his face from all the positive attention. 

Clearly Sonic liked being, well, liked far more than he let on.

Then, the circle snapped closed with a pop, and the credits began to roll.

[Voice Actors: 

Roger Craig Smith

Colleen Villard

Travis Willingham

Cindy Robinson

Nika Futterman

Mike Pollock

Kirk Thornton

Wally Wingert

Bill Freiberger

Original creation by:

Evan Baily

Donna Friedman Meir 

Sandrine Nguyen

Bill Freiberger

Takashi Iizuka

Writer/editor:

Solalunar “Sol” Eclipse

Thank you for watching reading.]

[aaronmaurer]

TV I Liked in 2020

Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.

Was there ever a year more unpredictably tailor-made for peak TV than 2020? Lockdowns/quarantines/stay-at-home orders meant a lot more time at home and the occasion to check out new and old favorites. (I recognize that if you’re lucky enough to have kids or roommates or a S.O., your amount of actual downtime may have been wildly different). While the pandemic resulted in production delays and truncated seasons for many shows, the continued streaming-era trends of limited series and 8-13 episode seasons mean that a lot of great and satisfying storytelling still made its way to the screen. As always, I in no way lay any claims to “best-ness�� or completeness – this is just a list of the shows that brought me the most joy and escapism in a tough year and therefore might be worth putting on your radar.

10 Favorites

10. The Right Stuff: Season 1 (Disney+)

As a space program enthusiast, even I had to wonder, does the world really need another retelling of NASA’s early days? Especially since Tom Wolfe’s book has already been adapted as the riveting and iconoclastic Philip Kaufman film of the same name? While some may disagree, I find that this Disney+ series does justify its existence by focusing more on the relationships of the astronauts and their personal lives than the technical science (which may be partially attributable to budget limitations?). The series is kind of like Mad Men but with NASA instead of advertising (and real people, of course), so if that sounds intriguing, I encourage you to give it a whirl.

9. Fargo: Season 4 (FX)

As a big fan of Noah Hawley’s Coen Brothers pastiche/crime anthology series, I was somewhat let down by this latest season. Drawing its influence primarily from the likes of gangster drama Miller’s Crossing – one of the Coens’ least comedic/idiosyncratic efforts – this season is more straightforward than its predecessors and includes a lot of characters and plot-threads that never quite cohere. That said, it is still amongst the year’s most ambitious television with another stacked cast, and the (more-or-less) standalone episode “East/West” is enough to make the season worthwhile.

8. The Last Dance (ESPN)

Ostensibly a 10-episode documentary about the 1990s Chicago Bulls’ sixth and final NBA Championship run, The Last Dance actually broadens that scope to survey the entire history of Michael Jordan and coach Phil Jackson’s careers with the team. Cleverly structured with twin narratives that chart that final season as well as an earlier timeframe, each episode also shifts the spotlight to a different person, which provides focus and variety throughout the series. And frankly, it’s also just an incredible ride to relive the Jordan era and bask in his immeasurable talent and charisma – while also getting a snapshot of his outsized ego and vices (though he had sign-off on everything, so it’s not exactly a warts-and-all telling).

7. The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

This miniseries adaptation of the Walter Tevis coming-of-age novel about a chess prodigy and her various addictions is compulsively watchable and avoids the bloat of many other streaming series (both in running time and number of episodes). The 1960s production design is stunning and the performances, including Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role, are convincing and compelling.

6. The Great: Season 1 (hulu)

Much like his screenplay for The Favourite, Tony McNamara’s series about Catherine the Great rewrites history with a thoroughly modern and irreverent sensibility (see also: Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette). Elle Fanning brings a winning charm and strength to the title role and Nicholas Hoult is riotously entertaining as her absurdly clueless and ribald husband, Emperor Peter III. Its 10-episodes occasionally tilt into repetitiveness, but when the ride is this fun, why complain? Huzzah!

  5. Dispatches From Elsewhere (AMC)

A limited (but possibly anthology-to-be?) series from creator/writer/director/actor Jason Segal, Dispatches From Elsewhere is a beautiful and creative affirmation of life and celebration of humanity. The first 9 episodes form a fulfilling and complete arc, while the tenth branches into fourth wall-breaking meta territory, which may be a bridge too far for some (but is certainly ambitious if nothing else). Either way, it’s a movingly realized portrait of honesty, vulnerability and empathy, and I highly recommend visiting whenever it inevitably makes its way to Netflix, or elsewhere…

4. What We Do in the Shadows: Season 2 (FX)

The second season of WWDITS is more self-assured and expansive than the first, extending a premise I loved from its antecedent film – but was skeptical could be sustained – to new and reinvigorated (after)life. Each episode packs plenty of laughs, but for my money, there is no better encapsulation of the series’ potential and Matt Berry’s comic genius than “On The Run,” which guest-stars Mark Hamill and features Laszlo’s alter ego Jackie Daytona, regular human bartender.

3. Ted Lasso: Season 1 (AppleTV+)

Much more than your average fish-out-of-water comedy, Jason Sudeikis’ Ted Lasso is a brilliant tribute to humaneness, decency, emotional intelligence and good coaching – not just on the field. The fact that its backdrop is English Premier League Soccer is just gravy (even if that’s not necessarily represented 100% proficiently). A true surprise and gem of the year.

2. Mrs. America (hulu)

This FX miniseries explores the women’s liberation movement and fight for the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and its opposition by conservative women including Phyllis Schlafly. One of the most ingenious aspects of the series is centering each episode on a different character, which rotates the point of view and helps things from getting same-y. With a slate of directors including Ryan Bowden and Anna Fleck (Half-Nelson, Sugar, Captain Marvel) and an A-List cast including Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba, Sarah Paulson, Margo Martindale, Tracey Ulman and Elizabeth Banks, its quality is right up there with anything on the big screen. And its message remains (sadly) relevant as ever in our current era.

1. The Good Place: Season 4 (NBC)

It was tempting to omit The Good Place this year or shunt it to a side category since only the final 4 episodes aired in 2020, but that would have been disingenuous. This show is one of my all-time favorites and it ended perfectly. The series finale is a representative mix of absurdist humor and tear-jerking emotion, built on themes of morality, self-improvement, community and humanity. (And this last run of eps also includes a pretty fantastic Timothy Olyphant/Justified quasi-crossover.) Now that the entire series is available to stream on Netflix (or purchase in a nice Blu-ray set), it’s a perfect time to revisit the Good Place, or check it out for the first time if you’ve never had the pleasure.

5 of the Best Things I Caught Up With

Anne With An E (Netflix/CBC)

Another example of classic literature I had no prior knowledge of (see also Little Women and Emma), this Netflix/CBC adaptation of Anne of Green Gables was strongly recommended by several friends so I finally gave it a shot. While this is apparently slightly more grown-up than the source material, it’s not overly grimdark or self-serious but rather humane and heartfelt, expanding the story’s scope to include Black and First Nations peoples in early 1800s Canada, among other identities and themes. It has sadly been canceled, but the three seasons that exist are heart-warming and life-affirming storytelling. Fingers crossed that someday we’ll be gifted with a follow-up movie or two to tie up some of the dangling threads.

Better Call Saul (AMC)

I liked Breaking Bad, but I didn’t have much interest in an extended “Breaking Bad Universe,” as much as I appreciate star Bob Odenkirk’s multitalents. Multiple recommendations and lockdown finally provided me the opportunity to catch up on this prequel series and I’m glad I did. Just as expertly plotted and acted as its predecessor, the series follows Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman on his own journey to disrepute but really makes it hard not to root for his redemption (even as you know that’s not where this story ends).

Joe Pera Talks With You (Adult Swim)

It’s hard to really describe the deadpan and oddly soothing humor of comedian Joe Pera whose persona, in the series at least, combines something like the earnestness of Mr. Rogers with the calm enthusiasm of Bob Ross. Sharing his knowledge on the likes of how to get the best bite out of your breakfast combo, growing a bean arch and this amazing song “Baba O’Reilly” by the Who – have you heard it?!? – Pera provides arch comfort that remains solidly on the side of sincerity. The surprise special he released during lockdown, “Relaxing Old Footage with Joe Pera,” was a true gift in the middle of a strange and isolated year.

The Mandalorian (Disney+)

One of the few recent Star Wars properties that lives up to its potential, the adventures of Mando and Grogu is a real thrill-ride of a series with outstanding production values (you definitely want to check out the behind-the-scenes documentary series if you haven’t). I personally prefer the first season, appreciating its Western-influenced vibes and somewhat-more-siloed story. The back half of the second season veers a little too much into fan service and video game-y plotting IMHO but still has several excellent episodes on offer, especially the Timothy Olyphant-infused energy of premiere “The Marshall” and stunning cinematography of “The Jedi.” And, you know, Grogu.

The Tick (Amazon Prime)

I’ve been a fan of the Tick since the character’s Fox cartoon and indie comic book days and also loved the short-lived Patrick Warburton series from 2001. I was skeptical about this Amazon Prime reboot, especially upon seeing the pilot episode’s off-putting costumes. Finally gaining access to Prime this year, I decided to catch up and it gets quite good!, especially in Season 2. First, the costumes are upgraded; second, Peter Serafinowicz’s initially shaky characterization improves; and third, it begins to come into its own identity. The only real issue is yet another premature cancellation for the property, meaning Season 2’s tease of interdimensional alien Thrakkorzog will never be fulfilled. 😢

Bonus! 5 More Honorable Mentions:

City So Real (National Geographic)

The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)

How To with John Wilson: Season 1 (HBO)

Kidding: Season 2 (Showtime)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs The Reverend (Netflix)

[local-femme-gentleman]

animated films to watch #1

🎈🎈🎈

1. Kiki’s Delivery Service Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, written by Eiko Kadono

I can’t describe what makes Kiki’s Delivery Service so great better than The Guardian, who in their review of the movie wrote: “The plot is so loose as to barely exist, but beneath its sunny, colour-saturated, beautifully animated surface, the film becomes a benign guided tour of femininity (there’s barely a male character in the film), gently broaching universal coming-of-age issues such as independence, insecurity, and even – more boldly than any Western children’s movie would contemplate – sexuality.”

In all honesty, Kiki’s Delivery Service is often glossed over in the larger world of Miyazaki and Ghibli films, more often than not overshadowed with the Princess Mononoke’s and the Spirited Away’s. But for me - and this could be mostly because of nostalgia - Kiki’s Delivery Service remains my favourite Ghibli film. It’s soft and whimsical in a very trademark Ghibli way,  and the colour palette is something I all but eat up. The movie has always made me smile ever since I first saw it on TV at the age of seven, and if you give it a shot, if only to widen you’re Ghibli film repertoire, than I promise it’ll have the same effect on you. 

🎈🎈🎈

2. Persepolis Directed by Vincent Paronnaud, written by Marjane Satrapi 

Marjane Satrapi has always been a personal idol of mine and my mom used to read the Persepolis books to me back when I was a kid. The movie, in this modern age of terrorism and islamophobia, presents a view of islamic nations and muslim families that just isn’t represented in most forms of media. The movie is almost exactly like the graphic novel, which is probably the result of Marjane Satrapi co directing the movie, in both story and visual presentation.  Even the animation, from it’s black and white illustrations and comic motions, is reminiscent of the source material. 

At it’s core it’s coming of age film like none we’ve ever seen before, and in his review of the film Roger Ebert writes, “It is infinitely more interesting than the witless coming-of-age Western girls we meet in animated films; in spirit, in gumption, in heart, Marjane resembles someone like the heroine is “Juno” - not that she is pregnant at 16, of course. While so many films about coming of age involve manufactured dilemmas, here is one about a woman who indeed does come of age, and magnificently.” It’s a must read, a must watch, and more. 

🎈🎈🎈

3. Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse Directed by Peter Ramsey and Bob Persichetti, written by Rodney Rothnam and Phil Lord

I’ve always loved comic book movies, I mean I have gobbled up all 22 MCU movies with raging enthusiasm. Spiderman is a favourite of mine, so when the trailer for this movie first came out I was more skeptical than not. However, in the best twist of fate I have ever been directly affected by, Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse became, in the simplest of terms, my favourite movie of 2018, and perhaps my favourite animate film ever. It took a character I was always wary of in the comics, Miles Morales, and made him my favourite part of the movie. 

I watched it three times in the theatre, and then I downloaded it onto my laptop and I think I’ve see it maybe seven times after I was done with that. The animation is incredible and some of the scenes are just so fun to look at that you barely care about what’s going on in the story. The character’s are all so fun, including a much more depressing version of Peter Parker than we’re used to seeing and John Mulaney’s Peter Porker who is going forward probably my favourite superhero ever. I’m sure you’ve already seen this one, but there really is not reason you shouldn’t watch it again.

🎈🎈🎈

4. Fantastic Mr. Fox Directed by Wes Anderson, written by Roald Dahl 

Fantastic Mr. Fox, the book and the movie, have both been huge parts of my childhood. The movie is the first Wes Anderson film I’d ever seen, and it’s what instilled my love for his work (which later went on to instil my love for films in general, so perhaps I owe that to Fantastic Mr. Fox as well). It’s got a star cast of you’re typical Wes Anderson faces but I firmly believe that in an animated film that doesn’t really matter, and the movie, with it’s autumn palette, witty humour, and fabulous visuals, doesn’t need a cast that famous to thrive the way it has. 

On the other hand, the fact that this movie influenced Anderson’s artistic style and has directly resulted in his doll-like universe of films, makes the movie even more special. It sticks true to Roald Dahl’s fantastical storytelling and that only makes the film so much more whimsical. I love the book, and I love the film, and the streams of family, friends make the story more than just heartwarming. The movie is just barrels of fun - and definitely one you should watch. 

🎈🎈🎈

part 2

[grigori77]

2018 in Movies - My Top 30 Fave Movies (Part 1)

30.  MANDY – easily the weirdest shit I saw in 2018, this 2-hour-plus fever dream fantasy horror is essentially an extended prog-rock video with added “plot” from Beyond the Black Rainbow director Panos Cosmatos. Saying that by the end of it I was left feeling exhausted, brain-fried and more than a little weirded-out might not seem like much of a recommendation, but this is, in fact, a truly transformative viewing experience, a film destined for MASSIVE future cult status. Playing like the twisted love-child of David Lynch and Don Coscarelli, it (sort of) tells the story of lumberjack Red Miller (Nicolas Cage) and his illustrator girlfriend Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough), who have an idyllic life in the fantastically fictional Shadow Mountains circa 1983 … at least until Mandy catches the eye of Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache), the thoroughly insane leader of twisted doomsday cult the Children of the New Dawn, who employs nefarious, supernatural means to acquire her.  But Mandy spurns his advances, leading to a horrific retribution that spurs Red, a traumatised war veteran, to embark on a genuine roaring rampage of revenge.  Largely abandoning plot and motivation for mood, emotion and some seriously trippy visuals, this is an elemental, transcendental film, a series of deeply weird encounters and nightmarish set-pieces that fuel a harrowing descent into a particularly alien, Lovecraftian kind of hell, Cosmatos shepherding in one breathtaking sequence after another with the aid of skilled cinematographer Benjamin Loeb, a deeply inventive design team (clearly drawing inspiration from the artwork of late-70s/early 80s heavy metal albums) and a thoroughly tricked-out epic tone-poem of a score from the late Jôhan Jôhannsson (Sicario, Arrival, Mother!), as well as one seriously game cast.  Cage is definitely on crazy-mode here, initially playing things cool and internalised until the savage beast within is set loose by tragedy, chewing scenery to shreds like there’s no tomorrow, while Riseborough is sweet, gentle and inescapably DOOMED; Roach, meanwhile, is a thoroughly nasty piece of work, an entitled, delusional narcissist thoroughly convinced of his own massive cosmic importance, and there’s interesting support from a raft of talented character actors such as Richard Brake, Ned Dennehy and Bill Duke.  This is some brave, ambitious filmmaking, and a stunning breakthrough for one of the weirdest and most unique talents I’ve stumbled across a good while.  Cosmatos is definitely one to watch.

29.  THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB – back in 2011, David Fincher’s adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s runaway bestseller The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo became one of my very favourite screen thrillers EVER, a stone-cold masterpiece and, in my opinion, the superior version of the story even though a very impression Swedish version had broken out in a major way the year before. My love for the film was coloured, however, by frustration at its cinematic underperformance, which meant that Fincher’s planned continuation of the series with Millennium Trilogy sequels The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest would likely never see the light of day. Even so, the fan in me held out hope, however fragile, that we might just get lucky.  Seven years later, we have FINALLY been rewarded for our patience, but not exactly in the fashion we’ve been hoping for … Fincher’s out, Evil Dead-remake and Don’t Breathe writer-director Fede Alvarez is in, and instead of continuing the saga in the logical place the makers of this new film chose the baffling route of a “soft reboot” via adapting the FOURTH Millennium book, notable for being the one released AFTER Larsson’s death, penned by David Lagercrantz, which is set AFTER the original Trilogy. Thing is, the actually end result, contrary to many opinions, is actually pretty impressive – this is a leaner, more fast-paced affair than its predecessor, a breathless suspense thriller that rattles along at quite a clip as we’re drawn deeper into Larsson’s dark, dangerous and deeply duplicitous world and treating fans to some top-notch action sequences, from a knuckle-whitening tech-savvy car chase to a desperate, bone-crunching fight in a gas-filled room.  Frustratingly, the “original” Lisbeth Salander, Rooney Mara, is absent (despite remaining VERY enthusiastic about returning to the role), but The Crown’s Claire Foy is almost as good – the spiky, acerbic and FIERCELY independent prodigious super-hacker remains as brooding, socially-awkward, emotionally complex and undeniably compelling as ever, the same queen of screen badasses I fell in love with nearly a decade ago.  Her investigative journalist friend/occasional lover Mikael Blomkvist is, annoyingly, less well served – Borg Vs McEnroe star Sverrir Gudnasson is charismatic and certainly easy on the eyes, but he’s FAR too young for the role (seriously, he’s only a week older than I am) and at times winds up getting relegated to passive observer status when he’s not there simply to guide the plot forward; we’re better served by the supporting cast, from Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out, Sorry to Bother You) as a mysterious NSA security expert (I know!) to another surprisingly serious turn (after Logan) from The Office’s Stephen Merchant as the reclusive software designer who created the world-changing computer program that spearheads the film’s convoluted plot, and there’s a fantastically icy performance from Blade Runner 2049’s Sylvia Hoeks as Camilla Salander, Lisbeth’s estranged twin sister and psychopathic head of the Spiders, the powerful criminal network once controlled by their monstrous father (The Hobbit’s Mikael Persbrandt).  The film is far from perfect – the plot kind runs away with the story at times, while several supposedly key characters are given frustratingly little development or screen-time – but Alvarez keeps things moving along with typical skill and precision and maintains a tense, unsettling atmosphere throughout, while there are frequently moments of pure genius on display in the script by Alvarez, his regular collaborator Jay Basu and acclaimed screenwriter Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things, Locke) – the original novel wasn’t really all that great, but by just taking the bare bones of the plot and crafting something new and original they’ve improved things considerably.  The finished product thrills and rewards far more than it frustrates, and leaves the series in good shape for continuation.  With a bit of luck this time it might do well enough that we’ll finally get those other two movies to plug the gap between this and Fincher’s “original” …

28.  ISLE OF DOGS – I am a MASSIVE fan of the films of Wes Anderson.  Three share placement in my all-time favourite screen comedies list – Grand Budapest Hotel, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and, of course, The Royal Tenebaums (which perches high up in my TOP TEN) – and it’s always a pleasure when a new one comes out.  2009’s singular stop-motion gem Fantastic Mr Fox showed just how much fun his uniquely quirky sense of humour and pleasingly skewed world-view could be when transferred into an animated family film setting, so it’s interesting that it took him nearly a decade to repeat the exercise, but the labour of love is writ large upon this dark and delicious fable of dystopian future Japanese city Megasaki, where an epidemic of “dog flu” prompts totalitarian Mayor Kobayashi (voiced by Kunichi Nomura) to issue an edict banishing all of the city’s canine residents to nearby Trash Island. Six months later, Kobayashi’s nephew Atari (newcomer Koyu Rankin) steals a ridiculously tiny plane and crash-lands on Trash Island, intent on rescuing his exiled bodyguard-dog Spots (Liev Schreiber); needless to say this is easier said than done, unforeseen circumstances leading a wounded Atari to enlist the help of a pack of badass “alpha dogs” voiced by Anderson regulars – Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaban), Boss (Bill Murray) and Duke (Jeff Goldblum) – and nominally led by crabby, unrepentantly bitey stray Chief (Bryan Cranston), to help him find his lost dog in the dangerous wilds of the island.  Needless to say this is as brilliantly odd as we’ve come to expect from Anderson, a perfectly pitched, richly flavoured concoction of razor sharp wit, meticulously crafted characters and immersive beauty.  The cast are, as always, excellent, from additional regulars such as Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel and F. Murray Abraham to new voices like Greta Gerwig, Scarlett Johansson, Ken Watanabe and Courtney B. Vance, but the film’s true driving force is Cranston and Rankin, the reluctant but honest relationship that forms between Chief and Atari providing the story with a deep, resonant emotional core.  The first rate animation really helps – the exemplary stop-motion makes the already impressive art of Mr Fox seem clunky and rudimentary (think the first Wallace & Gromit short A Grand Day Out compared to their movie Curse of the Were-Rabbit), each character rendered with such skill they seem to be breathing on their own, and Anderson’s characteristic visual flair is on full display, the Japanese setting lending a rich, exotic tang to the compositions, especially in the deeply inventive environs of Trash Island.  Funny, evocative, heartfelt and fiendishly clever, this is one of those rare screen gems that deserves to be returned to again and again, and it’s definitely another masterpiece from one of the most unique filmmakers working today.

27.  VENOM – when Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man saga came to a rather clunky end back in 2007, it felt like a case of too many villains spoiling the rumble, and it was pretty clear that the inclusion of bad-boy reporter Eddie Brock and his dark alter ego was the straw that broke that particular camel’s back.  Venom didn’t even show up proper until almost three quarters of the way through the movie, by which time it was very much a case of too-little-too-late, and many fans (myself included) resented the decidedly Darth Maul-esque treatment of one of the most iconic members of Marvel’s rogues’ gallery.  It’s taken more than a decade for Marvel to redress the balance, even longer than with Deadpool, and, like with the Merc With a Mouth, they decided the only way was a no-holds-barred, R-rated take that could really let the beast loose. Has it worked?  Well … SORT OF.  In truth, the finished article feels like a bit of a throwback, recalling the pre-MCU days when superhero movies were more about pure entertainment without making us think too much, just good old-fashioned popcorn fodder, but in this case that’s not a bad thing.  It’s big, loud, dumb fun, hardly a masterpiece but it does its job admirably well, and it has one hell of a secret weapon at its disposal – Tom Hardy. PERFECTLY cast as morally ambiguous underdog investigative journalist Eddie Brock, he deploys the kind of endearingly sleazy, shit-eating charm that makes you root for him even when he acts like a monumental prick, while really letting rip with some seriously twitchy, sometimes downright FEROCIOUS unhinged craziness once he becomes the unwilling host for a sentient parasitic alien symbiote with a hunger for living flesh and a seriously bad attitude.  This is EASILY one of the best performances Hardy’s ever delivered, and he entrances us in every scene, whether understated or explosive, making even the most outlandish moments of Brock’s unconventional relationship with Venom seem, if not perfectly acceptable, then at least believable.  He’s ably supported by Michelle Williams as San Francisco district attorney Anne Weying, his increasingly exasperated ex-fiancée, Rogue One’s Riz Ahmed as Carlton Drake, the seemingly idealistic space-exploration-funding philanthropist whose darker ambitions have brought a lethal alien threat to Earth, and Parks & Recreation’s Jenny Slate as Drake’s conflicted head scientist Nora Skirth, while there’s a very fun cameo from a particularly famous face in the now ubiquitous mid-credits sting that promises great things in the future.  Director Ruben Fleischer brought us Zombieland and 30 Minutes Or Less, so he certainly knows how to deliver plenty of blackly comic belly laughs, and he brings plenty of seriously dark humour to the fore, the rating meaning the comedy can get particularly edgy once Venom starts to tear up the town; it also fulfils the Marvel prerequisite of taking its action quota seriously, delivering a series of robust set-pieces (the standout being a spectacular bike chase through the streets of San Fran, made even more memorable by the symbiote’s handy powers). Best of all, the film isn’t afraid to get genuinely scary with some seriously nasty alien-induced moments of icky body horror, captured by some strangely beautiful effects works that brings Venom and his ilk to vivid, terrifying life.  Flawed as it is, this is still HUGE fun, definitely one of the year’s biggest cinematic guilty pleasures, and I for one can’t wait to see more from the character in the near future, which, given what a massive success the film has already proven at the box office, seems an ironclad certainty.

26.  SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY – the second of Disney’s new phase of Star Wars movies to feature in the non-trilogy-based spinoff series had a rough time after its release – despite easily recouping its production budget, it still lost the $100-million+ it spent on advertising, while it was met with extremely mixed reviews and shunned by many hardcore fans.  I’ll admit that I too was initially disappointed with this second quasi prequel to A New Hope (after the MUCH more impressive Rogue One), but a second, more open-minded viewing after a few months to ruminate mellowed my experience considerably, the film significantly growing on me.  An origin story for the Galaxy’s most lovable rogue was always going to be a hard sell – Han Solo is an enjoyable enigma in The Original Trilogy, someone who lives very much in the present, his origins best revealed in the little details we glean about him in passing – but while it’s a flawed creation, this interstellar heist adventure mostly pulls off what was intended.  Like many fans of The Lego Movie, I remain deeply curious about what original director duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller could have achieved with the material, but I wholeheartedly approved Disney’s replacement choice when he was announced – Ron Howard is one of my favourite “hit-and-miss” directors, someone who’s made some clunkers in his time (The Da Vinci Code, we’re looking at you) but can, on a good day, be relied on to deliver something truly special (Willow is one of my VERY FAVOURITE movies from my childhood, one that’s stood up well to the test of time, and a strong comparison point for this; Apollo 13 and Rush, meanwhile, are undeniable MASTERPIECES), and in spite of its shortcomings I’m ultimately willing to consider this one of his successes. Another big step in the right direction was casting Hail, Caesar! star Alden Ehrenreich in the title role – Harrison Ford’s are seriously huge shoes to fill, but this talented young man has largely succeeded.  He may not quite capture that wonderful growling drawl but he definitely got Han’s cocky go-getter swagger right, he’s particularly strong in the film’s more humorous moments, and he has charisma to burn, so he sure makes entertaining viewing.  It also helps that the film has such a strong supporting cast – with original Chewbacca Peter Mayhew getting too old for all this derring-do nonsense, former pro basketball-player Joonas Suotamo gets a little more comfortable in his second gig (after The Last Jedi) in the “walking carpet” suit, while Woody Harrelson adds major star power as Tobias Beckett, Han’s likeably slippery mentor in all things criminal in the Star Wars Universe, and Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke is typically excellent as Han’s first love Qi’ra, a fellow Corellian street orphan who’s grown up into a sophisticated thief of MUCH higher calibre than her compatriots.  The film is dominated, however, by two particularly potent scene-stealing turns which make you wonder if it’s really focused on the right rogue’s story – Community star Donald Glover exceeds all expectations as Han’s old “friend” Lando Calrissian, every bit the laconic smoothie he was when he was played by Billy Dee Williams back in the day, while his droid companion L3-37 (voiced with flawless comic skill by British stage and sitcom actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge) frequently walks away with the film entirely, a weirdly flirty and lovably militant campaigner for droid rights whose antics cause a whole heap of trouble.  The main thing the film REALLY lacks is a decent villain – Paul Bettany’s oily kingpin Dryden Voss is distinctive enough to linger in the memory, but has criminally short screen-time and adds little real impact or threat to the main story, only emphasising the film’s gaping, Empire-shaped hole.  Even so, it’s still a ripping yarn, a breathlessly exciting and frequently VERY funny space-hopping crime caper that relishes that wonderful gritty, battered old tech vibe we’ve come to love throughout the series as a whole and certainly delivers on the action stakes – the vertigo-inducing train heist sequence is easily the film’s standout set-piece, but the opening chase and the long-touted Kessel Run impress too – it only flags in the frustrating and surprisingly sombre final act.  The end result still has the MAKINGS of a classic, and there’s no denying it’s also more enjoyable and deep-down SATISFYING than the first two films in George Lucas’ far more clunky Prequel Trilogy.  Rogue One remains the best of the new Star Wars movies so far, but this is nothing like the disappointment it’s been made out to be.

25.  AQUAMAN – the fortunes of the DC Extended Universe cinematic franchise continue to fluctuate – these films may be consistently successful at the box office, but they’re a decidedly mixed bag when it comes to their quality and critical opinion, and the misses still outweigh the hits.  Still, you can’t deny that when they DO do things right, they do them VERY right – 2017’s acclaimed Wonder Woman was a long-overdue validation for the studio, and they’ve got another winner on their hands with this bold, brash, VERY ballsy solo vehicle for one of the things that genuinely WORKED in the so-so Justice League movie.  Jason Momoa isn’t just muscular in the physical sense, once again proving seriously ripped in the performance capacity as he delivers rough, grizzled charm and earthy charisma as half-Atlantean Arthur Curry, called upon to try and win back the royal birthright he once gave up when his half-brother Prince Orm (Watchmen’s Patrick Wilson), ruler of Atlantis, embarks on a brutal quest to unite the seven underwater kingdoms under his command in order to wage war on the surface world.  Aquaman has long been something of an embarrassment for DC Comics, an unintentional “gay joke” endlessly derided by geeks (particularly cuttingly in the likes of The Big Bang Theory), but in Momoa’s capable hands that opinion has already started to shift, and the transition should be complete after this – Arthur Curry is now a swarthy, hard-drinking alpha male tempered with a compellingly relatable edge of deep-seeded vulnerability derived from the inherent tragedy of his origins and separation from the source of his immense superhuman strength, and he’s the perfect flawed action hero for this most epic of superhero blockbusters.  Amber Heard is frequently as domineering a presence as Atlantean princess Mera, a powerful warrior in her own right and fully capable of heading her own standalone adventure someday, and Wilson makes for a very solid and decidedly sympathetic villain whose own motivations can frequently be surprisingly seductive, even if his methods are a good deal more nefarious, while The Get Down’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is more down-and-dirty BAD as David Kane, aka the Black Manta, a lethally tech-savvy pirate who has a major score to settle with the Aquaman; there’s also strong support from the likes of Willem Dafoe as Curry’s sage-like mentor Vulko, Dolph Lundgren as Mera’s father, King Nereus, the ever-reliable Temuera Morrison as Arthur’s father Thomas, and Nicole Kidman as his ill-fated mother Atlanna.  Director James Wan is best known for establishing horror franchises (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring), but he showed he could do blockbuster action cinema with Fast & Furious 7, and he’s improved significantly with this, delivering one gigantic action sequence after another with consummate skill and flair as well as performing some magnificent and extremely elegant world-building, unveiling dazzling, opulent and exotic undersea civilizations that are the equal to the forests of Pandora in Avatar, but he also gets to let some of his darker impulses show here and there, particularly in a genuinely scary visit to the hellish world of the Trench and its monstrous denizens.  It may not be QUITE as impressive as Wonder Woman, and it still suffers (albeit only a little bit) from the seemingly inherent flaws of the DCEU franchise as a whole (particularly in yet another overblown CGI-cluttered climax), but this is still another big step back in the right direction, one which, once again, we can only hope they’ll continue to repeat.  I’ll admit that the next offering, Shazam, doesn’t fill me with much confidence, but you never know, it could surprise us.  And there’s still Flashpoint, The Batman and Birds of Prey to come …

24.  THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI – filmmaker brothers Martin and John Michael McDonagh have carved an impressive niche in cinematic comedy this past decade, from decidedly Irish breakout early works (In Bruges from Martin and The Guard and Calvary from John) to enjoyable outsider-looking-in American crim-coms (Martin’s Seven Psychopaths and John’s War On Everyone), and so far they���ve all had one thing in common – they’re all BRILLIANT.  But Martin looks set to be the first brother to be truly accepted into Hollywood Proper, with his latest feature garnering universal acclaim, massive box office and heavyweight Awards recognition, snagging an impressive SEVEN Oscar nominations and taking home two, as well as landing a Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Picture.  It’s also the most thoroughly AMERICAN McDonagh film to date, and this is no bad thing, Martin shedding his decidedly Celtic flavours for an edgier Redneck charm that perfectly suits the material … but most important of all, from a purely critical point of view this could be the very BEST film either of the brothers has made to date.  It’s as blackly comic and dark-of-soul as we’d expect from the creator of In Bruges, but there’s real heart and tenderness hidden amongst the expletive-riddled, barbed razor wit and mercilessly observed, frequently lamentable character beats.  Frances McDormand thoroughly deserved her Oscar win for her magnificent performance as Mildred Hayes, a take-no-shit shopkeeper in the titular town whose unbridled grief over the brutal rape and murder of her daughter Angela (Kathryn Newton) has been exacerbated by the seeming inability of the local police force to solve the crime, leading her to hire the ongoing use of a trio of billboards laying the blame squarely at the feet of popular, long-standing local police Chief Bill Willoughby (Woody Harrelson). Needless to say this kicks up quite the shitstorm in the town, but Mildred stands resolute in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, refusing to back down.  McDormand has never been better – Mildred is a foul-mouthed, opinionated harpy who tells it like it is, no matter who she’s talking to, but there’s understandable pain driving her actions, and a surprisingly tender heart beating under all that thorniness; Harrelson, meanwhile, is by turns a gruff shit-kicker and a gentle, doting family man, silently suffering over his own helplessness with the dead end the case seems to have turned into.  The film’s other Oscar-winner, Sam Rockwell, also delivers his finest performance to date as Officer Jason Dixon, a true disgrace of a cop whose permanent drunkenness has marred a career which, it turns out, began with some promise; he’s a thuggish force-of-nature, Mildred’s decidedly ineffectual nemesis whose own equally foul-mouthed honesty is set to dump him in trouble big time, but again there’s a deeply buried vein of well-meaning ambition under all the bigotry and pigheadedness we can’t help rooting for once it reveals itself.  There’s strong support from some serious heavyweights, particularly John Hawkes, Caleb Landry Jones, Peter Dinklage, Abbie Cornish and Manchester By the Sea’s breakout star Lucas Hedges, while McDonagh deserves every lick of acclaim and recognition he’s received for his precision-engineered screenplay, peerless direction and crisp, biting dialogue, crafting a jet black comedy nonetheless packed with so much emotional heft that it’ll have you laughing your arse off but crying your eyes out just as hard.  An honest, unapologetic winner, then.

23.  RED SPARROW – just when you thought we’d seen the last of the powerhouse blockbuster team of director Francis Lawrence and star Jennifer Lawrence with the end of The Hunger Games, they reunite for this far more adult literary feature, bringing Jason Matthews’ labyrinthine spy novel to bloody life.  Adapted by Revolutionary Road screenwriter Justin Haythe, it follows the journey of Russian star ballerina Dominika Egorova (Lawrence) into the shadowy world of post-Glasnost Russian Intelligence after an on-stage accident ruins her career.  Trained to use her body and mind to seduce her targets, Dominika becomes a “Sparrow”, dispatched to Budapest to entrap disgraced CIA operative Nate Nash (Joel Edgerton) and discover the identity of the deep cover double agent in Moscow he was forced to burn his own cover to protect.  But Dominika never wanted any of this, and she begins to plot her escape, no matter the risks … as we’ve come to expect, Jennifer Lawrence is magnificent, her glacial beauty concealing a fierce intelligence and deeply guarded desperation to get out, her innate sensuality rendered clinical by the raw, unflinching gratuity of her training and seduction scenes – this is a woman who uses ALL the weapons at her disposal to get what she needs, and it’s an icy professionalism that informs and somewhat forgives Lawrence’s relative lack of chemistry with Edgerton.  Not that it’s his fault – Nate is nearly as compelling a protagonist as Dominika, a roguish chancer whose impulsiveness could prove his undoing, but also makes him likeable and charming enough for us to root for him too.  Bullhead’s Matthias Schoenarts is on top form as the film’s nominal villain, Dominika’s uncle Ivan, the man who trapped her in this hell in the first place, Charlotte Rampling is beyond cold as the “Matron”, the cruel headmistress of the Sparrow School, Joely Richardson is probably the gentlest, purest ray of light in the film as Dominika’s ailing mother Nina, and Jeremy Irons radiates stately gravitas as high-ranking intelligence officer General Vladimir Andreievich Korchnoi.  This is a tightly-paced, piano wire-taut thriller with a suitably twisty plot that constantly wrong-foots the viewer, Lawrence the director again showing consummate skill at weaving flawlessly effective narrative with scenes of such unbearable tension you’ll find yourself perched on the edge of your seat throughout.  It’s a much less explosive film than we’re used to from him – most of the fireworks are of the acting variety – but there are moments when the tension snaps, always with bloody consequences, especially in the film’s standout sequence featuring a garrotte-driven interrogation that turns particularly messy.  The end result is a dark thriller of almost unbearable potency that you can’t take your eyes off.  Here’s hoping this isn’t the last time Lawrence & Lawrence work together …

22.  WIDOWS – Steve McQueen is one of the most challenging writer-directors working in Hollywood today, having exploded onto the scene with hard-hitting IRA-prison-biopic Hunger and subsequently adding to his solid cache of acclaimed works with Shame and 12 Years a Slave, but there’s a strong argument to be made that THIS is his best film to date. Co-adapted from a cult TV-series from British thriller queen Lynda La Plante by Gone Girl and Sharp Objects-author Gillian Flynn, it follows a group of women forced to band together to plan and execute a robbery in order to pay off the perceived debt incurred by their late husbands, who died trying to steal $2 million from Jamal Manning (If Beale Street Could Talk’s Brian Tyree Henry), a Chicago crime boss with ambitions to go legit as alderman of the city’s South Side Precinct.  Viola Davis dominates the film as Veronica Rawlings, the educated and fiercely independent wife of accomplished professional thief Harry (a small but potent turn from Liam Neeson), setting the screen alight with a barely restrained and searing portrayal of devastating grief and righteous anger, and is ably supported by a trio of equally overwhelming performances from Michelle Rodriguez as hard-pressed mother and small-businesswoman Linda Perelli, The Man From UNCLE’s Elizabeth Debicki as Alice Gunner, an abused widow struggling to find her place in the world now she’s been cut off from her only support-mechanism, and Bad Times At the El Royale’s Cynthia Eriyo as Belle, the tough, gutsy beautician/babysitter the trio enlist to help them once they realise they need a fourth member.  Henry is a deceptively subtle, thoroughly threatening presence throughout the film as Manning, as is Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya as his thuggish brother/lieutenant Jatemme, and Colin Farrell is seemingly decent but ultimately fatally flawed as his direct political rival, reigning alderman Jack Mulligan, while there are uniformly excellent supporting turns from the likes of Robert Duvall, Carrie Coon, Lukas Haas, Jon Bernthal and Kevin J. O’Connor.  McQueen once again delivers an emotionally exhausting and effortlessly powerful tour-de-force, wringing out the maximum amount of feels from the loaded and deeply personal human interactions on display throughout, and once again proves just as effective at delivering on the emotional fireworks as he is in stirring our blood in some brutal set-pieces, while Flynn help to deliver another perfectly pitched, intricately crafted script packed with exquisite dialogue and shrewdly observed character work which is sure to net her some major wins come Awards season.  Unflinching and devastating but thoroughly exhilarating, this is an extraordinary film (and if this was a purely critical list it would surely have placed A LOT higher), thoroughly deserving of every bit of praise, attention and success it has and will go on to garner.  An absolute must-see.

21.  JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM – Colin Trevorrow’s long-awaited 2015 Jurassic Park sequel was a major shot in the arm for a killer blockbuster franchise that had been somewhat flagging since Steven Spielberg brought dinosaurs back to life for the second time, but (edgier tone aside) it was not quite the full-on game-changer some thought it would be.  The fifth film, directed by J.A. Bayona (The Impossible, A Monster Calls) and written by Trevorrow and his regular script-partner Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed and JW, as well as Warner Bros’ recent “Monsterverse” landmark Kong: Skull Island), redresses the balance – while the first act of the film once again returns to the Costa Rican island of Isla Nublar, it’s become a very different environment from the one we’ve so far experienced, and a fiendish plot-twist means the film then takes a major swerve into MUCH darker territory than we’ve seen so far.  Giving away anything more does a disservice to the series’ most interesting story to date, needless to say this is EASILY the franchise’s strongest feature since the first, and definitely the scariest.  Hollywood’s most unusual everyman action hero, Chris Pratt, returns as raptor wrangler Owen Brady, enlisted to help rescue as many dinosaurs as possible from an impending, cataclysmic volcanic eruption, but in particular his deeply impressive trained raptor Blue, now the last of her kind; Bryce Dallas Howard is also back as former Jurassic World operations manager turned eco-campaigner Claire Dearing, and her His Girl Friday-style dynamic with Pratt’s Brady is brought to life with far greater success here, their chemistry far more convincing because Claire has become a much more well-rounded and believably tough lady, now pretty much his respective equal.  There are also strong supporting turns from the likes of Rafe Spall, The Get Down’s Justice Smith, The Vampire Diaries/The Originals’ breakout star Daniella Pineda, the incomparable Ted Levine (particularly memorable as scummy mercenary Ken Wheatley) and genuine screen legend James Cromwell, but as usual the film’s true stars are the dinosaurs themselves – it’s a real pleasure seeing Blue return because the last velociraptor was an absolute treat in Jurassic World, but she’s clearly met her match in this film’s new Big Bad, the Indoraptor, a lethally monstrous hybrid cooked up in Ingen’s labs as a living weapon.  Bayona cut his teeth on breakout feature The Orphanage, so he’s got major cred as an accomplished horror director, and he uses that impressive talent to great effect here, weaving an increasingly potent atmosphere of wire-taut dread and delivering some nerve-shredding set-pieces, particularly the intense and moody extended stalk-and-kill stretch that brings the final act to its knuckle-whitening climax.  It’s not just scary, though – there’s still plenty of that good old fashioned wonder and savage beauty we’ve come to expect from the series, and another hefty dose of that characteristic Spielbergian humour (Pratt in particular shines in another goofy, self-deprecating turn, while Smith steals many of the film’s biggest laughs as twitchy, out-of-his-comfort-zone tech wizard Franklin).  Throw in another stirring and epic John Williams-channelling score from Michael Giacchino and this is an all-round treat for the franchise faithful and blockbuster fans in general – EASILY the best shape the series has been in for some time, it shows HUGE promise for the future.

[robbiejohnsonyr3ax3021]

AX2001 - University - Practice Research Project - Some Quick Thoughts on Some More Stop-Motion Film Set Designs

Although in the past for the research project, I have discussed the different types of stop motion films I have seen and the behind the scenes of the set design production, I felt that it was important to go over some other Stop Motion films I have seen during this project and my impressions of their set design.

 The Humpty Dumpty Circus

Although this is something I have not been able to watch, it is still worth brining up due to its importance to Stop-Motion animation history as this is one of the earliest (and possibly first ever) stop motion animated films, being created in 1898. The Humpty Dumpty Circus has a few interesting set design pieces featured include the large circus tent mad out of cloth and the boxed ring, everyday items repurposed to create a lively location. The simplicity of the set also works well with the characters within the piece being dolls for kids and the small circus banners and flag at the top of the tent give a nice artistic touch to the set.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

With Christmas fast approaching I decided to investigate some Christmas classics and one of the most well-known animated Christmas films is the 1976 “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”. The fim features a few interesting set design pieces, but ongoing theme seems to be useful simplistic sets. What I am by this is some scenes have the set as one main colour for the backgrounds and then have a few more colours added in to create variety as well as a handful of props. Examples of these sets include the outside areas having soft white floor to represent snow and what almost looks like card background with trees painted on them as well as a little more snow and the sky. Another example is within the hall room where the rooms walls are slightly different shades of purple and then adding similar coloured props to room such as chairs and even the logs in the hall’s fireplace appear too also be purple. Overall, the set design works in conveying which location we are in within the story and some of the props are well detailed such as Santa’s sleigh, all you must do is pause and look for a minute or two to notice what tricks the set designers did to create the backgrounds and distant props.

How Wes Anderson Makes His Movies (Isle of Dogs)

This video by “Insider” explains how Wes Anderson creates his animated movies first beginning with 2009’s “Fantastic Mr Fox” and his second Stop Motion film “Isle of Dogs”. I felt like I had learned quite a lot from watching this video from the different aspects of stop motion animation from character designs to fur counts, but for this case I focused on the set design. The sets are simply incredible all being hand crafted within a studio in England and each set conveying a different mood/ atmosphere, from the dessert wasteland of trash island where dogs now live filled with rotting trash, tires, metal and more, with one scene where the dogs fight over a sack of eaten food/ trash showing how much of a fight for survival atmosphere has been created. To the large colourful Japanese archipelago, where we see brightly coloured building and moving trains standing out from the dark night sky. There is so much to say about every set piece from the TV station to the lab of scientist that I could go on for a while, but the main take away is this, set design can convey more than just a location, its an atmosphere, a mood, a reflection of the world, a character’s point of view and so much more all explained and represented by the sets the story and characters find themselves in.

Link to Humpty Dumpty Circus Images

http://dataphys.org/list/stop-motion-animation/

Link to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer clips

(” Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964) clip “)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmEUiHk_Uu8

(”Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by CBS featuring the Hall set)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V87fsP5B05k

Link to “Isle of Dogs” Trailer & “How Wes Anderson Makes His Movies”

(Trailer)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt__kig8PVU

(”How Wes Anderson Makes His Movies”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzibT_SjeoM

[mi4017emiliamcgee]

Essay plan p.5

The basic set up for my essay: P.1  Introduction, what the film is and who made it, the basic idea of the story, how the author is relevant, what I have looked for in the clip

P.2  Mention info from the opening and scene 1, mention how the music gets progressively more powerful and the visuals and camera movements will reflect this, say how the use of imagery in these scenes helps the watcher remember them which is important as all the scenes come back in some way (the opening, Atari ends up acting like the boy samurai in the story as he also wants to help the dogs and he stands again the mayor who appears to be the head of the Kobayashi clan)(the music played in scene 1 is frequently heard through the rest of the movie) mention how the Japanese setting is established very quickly 

P.3  Talk about how I think the film is being told like a play, talk about the letterboxing, talk of how the frames are usually very symmetrical adding to the feel everything being set up in an elaborate way that would not be seen in reality (some characters move into different positions in frames to make them stand out more), characters speaking directly to the audience (seems like it sometimes), use of text to explain what is happening to the audience or what time has passed if it was a flashback, narration included to explain things in a way similar to the text. Say how you believe all these were intentionally included by Wes Anderson to create the theatre like feeling for the whole film (you can achieve a fantasy like wonder that Wes Anderson tries to get in all his movies)

P.4  A paragraph dedicated entirely to the mayor speech scene, the colour red being very prominent in the whole scene and resulting in the colour being linked to a certain character (the mayor) and say how the red can help to give them a strong and intimidating image to the audience, the fisheye like distortion on the mayors introduction which could lean to him being a twisted character (which he is), use of lighting to help create certain opinions on each character and give different messages, camera angles used on the 2 characters. Film clearly sets up who we should be rooting for in the story with all these techniques

P.5 Talking about the use of sudden cuts in the clip, they are used in many Wes Anderson films not often found in other films so even if you didn’t know who directed the movie if you have ever seen another of his work eg. fantastic Mr. fox and the royal Tenenbaums, make the scene feel faster, can make something frightening or surprising (especially when paired with a sound or music change to enhance the feeling)

P.6  The key use of colour in the scene where spots is taken to trash island, the sudden spotlight that introduces us to spots and how we end up on a close up of his face made to highlight the fear the character is feeling creating sympathy for him, colours are used to convey spots mood as he travels (in the elevator it going from red to white, the outside city is filled with blue and grey showing the sadness but there is still the bright white sky, then we get to see the island which is in complete contrast to all the previous scenes and for spots it definitely isn't home, he is then dumped in another blue and grey scenery but now there is no view of the white sky almost like he feels hopeless here, it cuts to a view of the distance where the city is and the whole scene has a more warmer colour but it is viewed through the bars of a cage as spots cannot reach there, when back to the blue and grey scene a rain storm begins and the scene becomes darker and the combination of the scene makes it feel like it has finally kicked in that Spots is stuck there and he is truly sad), also the musical build-up (song from scene 1) gets louder on the build-up of suspense as we see spots get closer to trash island.

P.7 Smaller section dedicated to the narrated parts about trash island and the description of the symptoms. The scene has a long panning shot allowing you to see what the scenery of trash island is like, the length of the scene gives off the feeling that trash island is very large as it is the first long scene without a sudden cut to something else. As the narrator describes the symptoms there are many cuts to very different sceneries emphasising what is does and adds onto the severity of the severity of the disease 

P.8 Intro fight with the main dogs (mention how they are intimidating). The scene opens with a very symmetrical shot as 5 dogs enter the frame (the out of tune flute fits when we are told the dogs are desperate),there is a sudden powerful drumbeat as it cuts to a view from those dogs perspective as you see 5 other dogs silhouettes in the distance and you get the idea that these are dangerous dogs, the sudden cut to each dogs face that each have their own colour lighting their frame ( the darker lighting also helps their intimidating introduction) and make you understand that they must be important, the camera drawing closer as each group slowly approach each other, when the dogs are in a stand of against each other the camera constantly switches between the groups but the camera remains positioned looking up at the dogs highlighting the dangerousness of these dogs, there is a complete tonal shift in the scene and the music reflects this as the dogs begin talking to each other and the next few shots abandon the angles that made them intimidating, when the dogs fight again but it still has something comical about it because the fight is just a cloud with limbs but it suddenly becomes serious as an extreme close up shot happens as one dogs has its ear torn off making sure that you remember that the dogs are still dangerous

P.9   Scene of the dogs talking, the dogs take turns explaining who they are and the feel of this information being told to the view is increased by the central framing and the characters speaking directly into the camera, when the character Rex is talking about his unhappiness with his situation he fills up an entire side of the screen with the other dogs in the background this could be seen as he is sharing the opinion of himself and all the other dogs

P.10 Conclusion   

[weregonnaneedabiggerblog-blog1]

The Perfect Way to Watch a Movie

I often wonder if the way I’m watching this movie is the right way to do so:

  If I’m in the theatre and I have to go to the toilet, did I miss an important scene?

If someone talks during an important plot point, have I truly experienced the movie by missing out on that moment?

If someone walks past the screen, has the effort these filmmakers have made to immerse me in that world been shattered? Is it my fault or the guy that got in my way? Should I be focusing on that or the revelation that Johnny was the guy that ratted them out the whole time?

Do I have too much on my mind at-the-moment to fully immerse myself in the first place?

Am I seeing this at the right age? Should I wait till I’ve at least went through secondary school or should I have seen this when I was seven? But I wasn’t seven years old when “Minions” came out, so am I missing the nuance details in the script the filmmakers put in exclusively for a child’s mind to spot? Probably not, no.

  In many respects, there is more than likely a key calculated perfect way to experience a movie of a certain length, target audience and genre. But honestly, that’s just bringing structure into art. And who the hell wants that?

  Movies can be a fun, mass-appealing piece of harmless entertainment; something the whole family can enjoy. But at the same time, they can be on the further side of that pole; acting as captures of what imagination we humans may have with our differing life experiences, and how that makes us view the world. Movies aren’t supposed to be one thing; they weren’t created to be as easily analysed as this essay title would suggest they should be, and that’s often the main issue when the masses try to interpret the idea of the film medium as-a-whole. Often if we feel this movie didn’t fit our requirement of entertainment, then it’s a failure. It’s a bad movie. A majority of the mainstream movie consumers would agree with that notion. Others on-the-other-hand feel that movies should be something else; something that inspires us or makes us question our world. And the main issue of interpretation is when people want a film to just be one extreme or another. To say all movies should be mindless nonsense with no character development, themes or messages is the equivalent of wishing for a movie that is nothing but moving colours, and to say films should have no entertainment value and only be serious analyses of the human condition is, again, bringing structure into art. Movies can and should be able to be entertaining. Movies should also have depth. And when the planets align every now-and-again, we get that special movie that can appeal to both the mindless drones and the pretentious dickheads.

 But what makes movies so special, like music, is variety; variety in stories, setting, characters, cast, filmmakers, camera angles, set design, costumes, music etc. And whether these elements come together to form something explorative or adventurous, it still is artistic. The ability to empathise with a fictional character portrayed by a real human being is one of the greatest achievements of an artistic vision, with their worlds and ours only being blocked by a projector or TV screen.

 The state of connection movies bring out of us is also an amazing achievement. When I sit down in a theatre, about 90% of the people there I either don’t know and/or never will know. But when we all sit there, there is a true communal experience occurring; we laugh at the guy screwing up his first date due to his awkwardness and we later sit and sympathise with him as he wonders if he will be forever alone. And it’s that mixture of entertainment and commitment to a character that makes the idea of a movie being one thing and not another totally pointless. 

Back on topic however, I’m saddened to go on movie news websites and to read how the popularity of more expensive, private movie theatres with 4D rumbling chairs that let you hold your 3 course meal are being seen as a just alternative to just sitting down in your theatre seat and trying to enjoy what is put infront of you. Although, maybe that’s how you would prefer to experience the new Star Wars’ space battle as your rocked violently in your seat, or maybe the idea of communally watching a movie bothers you; the fact that the guy next to you I constantly text with notifications turned on. Maybe you hate the restraint of not being able to pause this 3 ½ epic to go and check if your mum’s messaged you back about it being okay to stay out at the pub an extra hour past your beddy-byes. Why not hear valid criticism as the guy in the back row boos at an unprecedented turn-of-events. Why don’t enjoy the bellowing laughter as the audience watches Will Ferrell mistake the glass door for being not there. Why have other people interrupt your immersion, the way you want it?

There is no right or wrong way to interpret a movie or even experiencing said movie for that matter. Do you watch this movie now on opening weekend with a packed audience, or do you watch it a few years from now on Netflix? The 1939 adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz” is often cited as the most viewed and most popular movie of all time, but I didn’t experience it during the pre-WWII tensions of its era, I watched it one Christmas in the mid-2000s and still found enjoyment out of it. I never experienced the context in which that movie was released. Maybe it was better than I didn’t, and just enjoyed the movie on its own merits. Over the years, several movies like “The Big Lebowski” and “The Iron Giant” have become more popular after the context of their release, and are still beloved despite the lack of such context as to why this was made at that time. At-the-same time, there are countless superhero movies being released at-the-moment that have context to release in the current popularity and resulting saturation of that sub-genre.

In conclusion, perhaps there is no non-scientific, white-knuckled calculation of the perfect way to experience a movie, just like there’s no perfect way to interpret a movie. Someone interpreting Fantastic Mr Fox as the weakest of Wes Anderson’s filmography is no more subjective than me choosing to view Ghostbusters on Blu Ray over VHS. The title of this essay is intentional; it’s to show how there is no perfect way to experience a film, or how to even get into movies in the first place, it’s something that occurs. Someone telling you how to experience art is someone who doesn’t understand art; someone who thinks everything in life should be broken down, sterilized and simplified, until we’re no different than the mindless drones in Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis”

Attempting to watch every perfect movie ever made is an impossible feat I recently realised I will never accomplish, so to me I feel I need to be open to as much cinema now and in the future as possible. After all, I live in the era of blockbusters, and box office seats sell out fast these days.

[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Kevin Wozniak on Kevflix: What’s Streaming This Month? – May

As we continue to be stuck in quarantine due to COVID-19, our streaming services have become essential to keep us entertained during this time.  Luckily for us, our streaming services have had pretty great content during this time and May only adds to it.  Along with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Disney+, I include the Criterion Channel on this list as well, as the content Criterion produces is spectacular.  Here are my picks for the best movies coming to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, and Criterion Channel in May.

        NETFLIX

Full list of everything coming to Netflix in April can be found here.

    BACK TO THE FUTURE and BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II (Robert Zemeckis, 1985/1989)

The third film was already on Netflix, so it’s only right to put the first two on as well.  Back to the Future is a perfect movie and the best time travel movie ever made.  The sequel is inventive and fun.  Watch all three, it’s an excellent trilogy.

  THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (David Fincher, 2008)

A visually stunning piece of filmmaking from the great David Fincher.

  DEN OF THIEVES (Christian Gudegast, 2018)

An interesting, methodical, Heat-like crime thriller that has grown on me after multiple viewings.

  DISTRICT 9 (Neil Blomkamp, 2009)

A wildly original sci-fi movie and the only good movie of Neil Blomkamp’s career.

  THE LINCOLN LAWYER (Brad Furman, 2011)

A cool little courtroom drama that kicked off the McConaissance of the early 2010’s.

  THE LOVEBIRDS (Michael Showalter, 2020)

I usually don’t put new Netflix movies on here, but a romantic comedy with Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani directed by the director of The Big Sick gives me hope that this could be a great one.

  PUBLIC ENEMIES (Michael Mann, 2009)

Johnny Depp gives one of the best performances of his career in Michael Mann’s engrossing, stunningly made biopic about gangster John Dillinger.

  UNCUT GEMS (Josh and Benny Safdie, 2019)

One of the best movies of 2019, Uncut Gems features a career-best performance by Adam Sandler in the Safdie Brother’s anxiety-enducing crime thriller.

  UNITED 93 (Paul Greengrass, 2006)

A tough watch, but Paul Greengrass rightly earned a Best Director Oscar nomination of this harrowing true story of passengers who foiled a terrorist plot on 9/11.

  WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY/CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (Mel Stuart, 1971/Tim Burton, 2005)

Two films from the same source material that couldn’t be more different.  Could be a cool little double feature.

    AMAZON PRIME

Full list of everything coming to Amazon Prime in April can be found here.

    COME TO DADDY (Ant Timpson, 2020)

A horror flick starring Elijah Wood.  That’s all I got and that’s all I need.

  THE GOLDFINCH (John Crowley, 2019)

2019’s biggest Oscar-bait failure is a film I didn’t see in theaters, but one I want to check out and see why this movie failed as hard as it did.

  LIKE CRAZY (Drake Dormeus, 2011)

The 2011 Sundance U.S. Dramatic winner is one of the most authentic love stories I’ve ever seen on film and features stellar performances from Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones.

  ROCKETMAN (Dexter Fletcher, 2019)

Taron Egerton is masterful in this unique biopic of music icon Elton John.

  SEBERG (Benedict Andrews, 2020)

Kristen Stewart, one of my favorite actresses working today, stars as French New Wave icon Jean Seberg, who was being watched by Herbert Hoover and the F.B.I. for her political and romantic involvement with civil rights activist Hakim Jamal.

  THE VAST OF NIGHT (Andrew Patterson, 2020)

I’ve heard nothing but great things about this movie for over a year and I am excited to finally watch this mystery thriller.

    HULU

Full list of everything coming to Hulu in April can be found here.

    BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan, 2005/2008)

Kind of annoying that they didn’t make the entire trilogy available, but whatever.  Batman Begins reinvented Batman on the silver screen and The Dark Knight is my favorite comic book movie ever and one of my all-time favorite movies.

  THE CONJURING (James Wan, 2013)

One of the best horror movies of the last ten years.

  GOODFELLAS (Martin Scorsese, 1990)

Goodfellas is my favorite movie ever made.  I love this movie so much.  It’s perfect.

  THE GRADUATE (Mike Nichols, 1967)

Another perfect movie, The Graduate is an undeniable classic with themes that still resonate today.

  THE LODGE (Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz, 2020)

Even though I’ve heard mixed things about this one, I’ve wanted to see The Lodge since the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and I’m excited to get the chance to check it out.

  PAINTER AND THE THIEF (Benjamin Ree, 2020)

This documentary, about a painter who befriends a thief who stole her paintings, was one that I missed at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, but one I really want to check out.

  PREMATURE (Rashaad Ernesto Green, 2020)

Rashaad Ernesto Green is a director I’ve been excited for since seeing his debut film Gun Hill Road in 2011, so getting to check out his latest film should be a treat.

  SPACESHIP EARTH (Matt Wolf, 2020)

I saw Spaceship Earth at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and it was a very interesting documentary about the group of people who built the Biosphere 2, a giant replica of the earth’s ecosystem, in 1991.

  DISNEY+

Full list of everything coming to Disney+ in May can be found here.

    FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Wes Anderson, 2009)

A stunning, hilarious, masterful stop-motion film from the great Wes Anderson.

  JOHN CARTER (Andrew Stanton, 2012)

A film that isn’t nearly as bad as its legacy precedes it, I’m excited to watch this one again for its sheer scale and insanity.

  MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL (Joachim Rønning, 2019)

A decent movie that might be better than the first one.  Angelina Jolie is pitch-perfect casting as Maleficent.

  THE PRINCESS BRIDE (Rob Reiner, 1987)

Could be argued as the most watchable movie ever made.  A film full of action, adventure, comedy, romance, and drama and every piece is great.

  STAR WARS: EPISODE IX – THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (JJ Abrams, 2019)

I was not a fan of this movie (full review here), but it’s a Star Wars movie and it’s available to stream (along with the rest of the saga).

  CRITERION CHANNEL

Full list of everything coming to Criterion Channel in May can be found here.

*The Criterion Channel does things a little differently than every other streaming service.  The Criterion Channel, a wonderful streaming service that focuses on independent, foreign, and under-appreciates movies, doesn’t just throw a bunch of random movies to stream.  They get more creative, by having categories like “DOUBLE FEATURES” or “FILMS FROM…”, giving us curated lists of films that somehow blend together or feature a specific artist.*

  DOUBLE FEATURES

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’:

The Limey (Steven Soderbergh, 1999)

Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)

A Soderbergh-Lynch double feature is always going to be great, but this one is going to be especially great because these two movies are some of the best work from these directing legends.

  KNOCK OUT!:

The Harder They Fall (Mark Robson, 1956)

Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)

Two movies that feature drama in and outside of the boxing ring.  The Harder They Fall features Humphrey Bogart as an ex-sportswriter who is hired by a shady fight promoter to promote an unknown but easily exploitable boxer from Argentina.  Raging Bull is a cinematic masterpiece and features Robert De Niro in, what this critic considers to be, the greatest acting performance ever on film.

  JOSH AND BENNY SAFDIE’S ADVENTURES IN MOVIEGOING

Josh and Benny Safdie are the most exciting directing duo since the Coen Brothers, so having a curated list from them is something that needs to be taken seriously.

The Naked City (Jules Dassin, 1948)

In a Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)

Camera Buff (Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1979)

Gloria (John Cassavetes, 1980)

Bless Their Little Hearts (Billy Woodberry, 1984)

Meantime (Mike Leigh, 1984)

Close-up (Abbas Kiarostami, 1990)

Hero (Stephen Frears, 1992)

The Mirror (Jafar Panahi, 1997)

SAUL BASS TURNS 100!

Saul Bass is responsible for some of the most iconic opening credits in cinematic history (ex: Psycho, Vertigo).  This impressive list of great films features some of Bass’ finest work.

The Big Knife (Robert Aldrich, 1955)

The Man with the Golden Arm (Otto Preminger, 1955)

Around the World in 80 Days (Michael Anderson, 1956)

Storm Center (Daniel Taradash, 1956)

Bonjour Tristesse (Otto Preminger, 1958)

The Big Country (William Wyler, 1958)

Cowboy (Delmer Daves, 1958)

Anatomy of a Murder (Otto Preminger, 1959)

The Facts of Life (Melvin Frank, 1960)

Ocean’s 11 (Lewis Milestone, 1960)

Something Wild (Jack Garfein, 1961)

West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961)

Walk on the Wild Side (Edward Dmytryk, 1962)

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Stanley Kramer, 1963)

Bunny Lake Is Missing (Otto Preminger, 1965)

Grand Prix (John Frankenheimer, 1966)

Seconds (John Frankenheimer, 1966)

Phase IV (Saul Bass, 1974)

The Human Factor (Otto Preminger, 1979)

The Age of Innocence (Martin Scorsese, 1993)

STARRING JACKIE CHAN

Jackie Chan is a martial arts legend and one of the greatest action stars to ever grace the silver screen.  These films show Chan’s early work as an actor, as well as show off his chops as a director.  This should be an absolute blast.

Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (Chen Chi-hwa, 1978)

Spiritual Kung Fu (Lo Wei, 1978)

The Fearless Hyena (Jackie Chan, 1979)

The Young Master (Jackie Chan, 1980)

Fearless Hyena 2, (Chan Chuen, 1983)

My Lucky Stars (Sammo Hung, 1985)

Police Story (Jackie Chan, 1985)

Police Story 2 (Jackie Chan, 1988)

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The Best Animated Movies For Adults: The ones to put on your list

Animated movies (or cartoon movies, if you prefer so) take us in a different world, and help us escape a mundane reality with highly exhilarating emotional and intellectual experiences.

The best thing about them – they’re not made only for children! Adults love watching them too, and they certainly have a few favorites among them.

Now, nobody implies that Bambi would be an adult person’s first choice, and even if it is – what the hack? If you’re a fan yourself, we have a delectable list of best animated movies for adults that may be marketed right towards you.

Here are the best animated movies for adults you shouldn’t miss:

Chico and Rita (2010)

Here’s a magnificent member of the list of best animated movies for adults –an evergreen romantic tale that will touch your heart!

Chico and Rita is a smoky love story from Cuba that feels incredibly real, despite of the fact its characters are fictional. Their messy and roiling passion that sustains their even messier and broken jazz musician lives got nominated for an Oscar, and will stay remembered for decades to come.

With so many ups and downs, this romantic and thrilling story brings us to a conclusion – There’s a bit of Chico and Rita in all of us!

‘Persepolis’ (2007)

Rather than another romance, we present you a dead-serious animation for adults that doesn’t exactly show the most pleasant story. Producers adapted Marjane Satrapi’s 2003 graphic novel that describes life in Iran before, during, and after its Islamic Revolution (1979), bringing to life a number of involving line-drawn images.

The tale was pictured with incredible clarity, and shed light of this important historical moment people in the US don’t really know much about.

The story is very well-animated, and supported by Satrapi’s bold cartoon expressionism that helps understand it.

Belladonna of Sadness (1973)

Jules Michelet’s book La Sorciere inspired many great cinematic pieces, including top quality adult animation movies. The topic is, as you recall, Middle Age witchcraft, and this movie helps us experience this period rather than simply analyzing it.

When you read the book, you get sad and involved into the tragic destiny of new wed Jeanne, and who was raped violently (yet lawfully in this period) by the feudal lord and his minions. The tormenting experience inspired her to make a pact with the devil, and to try hurting those that hurt her.

While it is difficult to depict her hatred and revenge with words, this hallucinatory and occult masterpiece does that just fine – at times, it is so explicit and severe that people misunderstand it.

Following its first release in 193, Belladonna of Sadness was restored in 4K, and promoted again. We’d say – it finally got the acknowledgement it deserves!

Fantastic Planet (1973)

Fantastic Planet is another great animated movie for adults that appeared on 1973. We get a unique opportunity to find out how it would be when humans would live on a giant plant, and be considered as animals.

Our opinion is that this is one of the best Sci-Fi movies made so far, with a recognizable visual style and stop-motion animation. Deep under the imaginative and superficial story of people being sub-leveled, this movie tackles important social questions such as racism and genocide.

Renaissance (2006)

Renaissance’s story takes place in Paris, several years from now. A brave cop is looking for the kidnapped scientist who holds the secret for an eternal life.

The use of specific techniques such as motion capture animation is what makes this animated adult movie a visual delight – it mixes up genres in a crafty way, and depicts our dystopian future in black and white. You wouldn’t believe how well that worked out!

‘My Neighbor Totoro’ (1988)

Hayao Miyazaki can safely be put on top of any animation creators’ list, and this is his masterpiece. My Neighbor Totoro is a nostalgically innocent story of a unique friendship between a kid and a giant, and the side effect is invoking pleasant memories of our childhood. At the same time, it is an adult cartoon movie that the entire family can watch.

FRITZ THE CAT (1972)

Here’s the debut and subversively successful animation of Ralph Bakshi, the man we today call the Father of modern American animation for adults. The movie is a total opposite to common, Disney-imposed views on animation – its visuals and its story aim to overcome political incorrectness, rather than simply providing an hour of entertainment.

Unlike most 70’s animated movies, this piece is slightly offensive and crudely satirical, which made it a common object of controversy.

One couldn’t expect less from a movie tacking the unused potential of letting anthropomorphic cats explore drugs, radical politics, and love. And yet, of course, it is not about cats, but about people. No wonder this movie has such historical significance!

Sita Sings the Blues

There are many reasons for Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues to be considered and unique. To start with, the animation was distributed for free due to disputable music rights. Secondly, Paley used Flash to create almost all animations herself.

Last but not least, there’s the distinctive style – Paley combines scenes from her own life with renowned Ramayana tales, and delivers them with beautiful Indian shadow puppetry visuals. Now imagine that paired with some Annette Hanshaw’s 1930s jazz!

Beowulf (2007)

Beowulf is among the oldest and most legendary English epic manuscripts, which means that not every movie can bear its weighty legacy. Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman made the brave attempt to imaginatively adapt it, and created a fantastic adventure for adult viewers.

The cast was all-star (Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright, Angelina Jolie, and Ray Winston), which means we get to enjoy both amazing visuals and starring performances. The piece is vastly entertaining and exhilarating, especially when you watch it in 3D cinemas.

Watership Down (1978)

Watership Down is one of the dark cartoon movies you don’t want your children to see, as it could create a very traumatic experience. At first sight, the animation looks like a family saga full of animals and adventure, but nothing in there is family-friendly. The highly-nuanced piece features devastating war scenes and societal conflict, and it is emotional enough to make everyone cry.

Paprika (2006)

Paprika is a fantastic Sci-Fi movie by Satoshi Kon with the most incredible story – the world where scientists don’t only analyze patients’ dreams, but also navigate through them. You’ll see lots of menacing dolls, marching appliances, collapsing cities, and disturbing sex scenes; and you’ll have to figure out the logic of such dreams yourself!

Heavy Metal (1981)

The animation flick shows us how a glowing green orb threatens a young girl with horrible, yet sensual fantasy stories. It follows the original concept adopted by Heavy Metal magazine – there are several stories instead of one, and each brings us a different entertaining affair. Beware – Movies like Heavy Metal are pretty explicit in how they depict violence and sex.

‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993)

We’d call this animation the best Christmas film ever, and we’d recommend you to watch it even before the season’s on. Filmmaker Tim Burton blended in a unique way the charm of Halloween and Christmas, and introduced us to the pumpkin king who discovers the fun of celebrating Santa’s big day. Pretty awesome, isn’t it?

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Although kids play the main roles in Grave of the Fireflies, this movie goes nowhere close to a kids’ animation. Isao Takahata wants to share the shocking experiences of a brother and a sister who try to survive the WWII bombing in their hometown in Japan.

To soften the scary moments in the movie, Studio Ghibli’s experts employed some seriously accumulated artistry. Rather than fancy, this piece is low-key and non-sensational, and it is exactly the scenes of deceptive reality that make it that devastating.

American Pop (1981)

American Pop chronicles how a Russian-Jewish musician’s family lived throughout four generations. Their stories are being brought to us with subtle narratives, only to provide the most profound experience possible.

The reviews and ratings for this movie are mixed, but we believe there is nothing that can hamper the beauty of such a fine musical drama. In fact, American Pop has become more and more popular over the years, only to become Bakshi’s most praised animation work ever.

‘Fantasia’ (1940)

We all watched Fantasia as children, but how much of it did we really understood? The experience of watching it as an adult is something else, so give it a try!

Tower (2016)

Animated sequences are used in innumerous documentaries, but Keith Maitland developed a fresh approach to them. His relatively new piece Tower aired at SXSW in 2016, praised for its unique structure and meaningful message to our society.

Maitland worked with original materials; rot scoped reenactments, and animated interviews – a brave, but totally effective step in the animation world. This organizational structure was the best deal he had for drawing attention towards mass shootings in the States.

Heavy Traffic (1973)

In Heavy Traffic, we meet a young and eccentric cartoonist with bizarre fantasies… and a whole army of his imaginary and weird characters that inspire his art. The piece is once again signed by incredible and wildly original Ralph Bashi, whose authoritative control can be observed in every single scene.

The movie doesn’t go as far as becoming uncomfortable or self-indulgent, but still features incredibly personal and intimate sequences. MPAA rated it with an X because of its explicit nature, but critics called it ‘the best work Ralph Bakshi ever did’.

‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ (2009)

There’s a bit of an inner hipster in all of us. If you don’t believe it, check whether you will like Fantastic Mr. Fox. We bet you will!

The animation debut of Wes Anderson goes around an idiosyncratic fox and its adventures. The well-dress and socially acquainted protagonist leads a pleasing life, but can’t resist the urge to go back to wildness and cause a retaliation against all animals. We’ll see it rescue its community, and help it come to peace with the idea of not being immortal.

A Scanner Darkly (2006)

Richard Linklater chose the works of Philip K. Dick to create this amazingly inventive movie show. He confirmed in such way that this author did not only predict technological development, but also criticized American mores.

Sad and funny at the same time, this story used Sci-Fi elements to recreate the 1977 War on Drugs, and featured a number of iconic counterculture protagonists with all their good and bad sides.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (2007)

This movie offers an unexpected mix of surrealism and humor, and belongs to the very few Adult Swim series that actually got a movie. Many critics, however, disapproved of the movie’s silly storyline and shallow approach.

Note that the movie also has an R rating for violent images, strong language, and adult humor.

‘The Triplets of Belleville’ (2003)

If a tour de France accompanied by typical French ladies and their cute dogs qualifies as a movie you’d watch, go for this one. The picture is pleasure-stuffed and yet dialogue-free, an excellent attempt of Sylvain Chomet to embrace the technique of silent storytelling.

The adventure of these adorable ladies features multiple references to modern pop culture, as presented by novice cartoonist Max Fleischer. You will find it easily understandable, relaxing, and truly charming.

Akira (1988)

Some viewers claim that Akira is monotonous to that end of becoming interminable, but that doesn’t decrease Katsuhiro Otomo’s great contribution to the anime world.

His cyberpunk zeitgeist and violent dystopian saga set the standards for many movies to come, even if the piece has little in common with classics such as Blade Runner.

Waking Life (2001)

Once again, it is astonishing how Richard Linklater looks at life, consciousness, unconsciousness, and the mere purpose of our existence. This time, he introduces us to a man who dreams constantly, and who’s struggling to find genuine answers about life.

The atmosphere in the movie is almost surreal – it pulls us right next to the dreamer, and it hypnotizes us with astonishing images we will remember for a long time to come.

There is nothing comparable to Waking Life – the piece never got an Oscar nomination, and we believe that’s where Academy members made a serious mistake. Yet, we should be aware that the movie contains some harsh language, and was therefore rated R.

‘Wallace &Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit’ (2005)

There is no Wallace & Gromit movie that you shouldn’t watch, but the Curse of the Were-Rabbit is the one you mustn’t miss! A feature-length and brilliant piece of visual delight, in particular for British movie fans ready to pack for an adventure. It is one of the very few movies on this list we recommend both for adults and for children.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999)

Do you remember the iconic sitcom ‘South Park’? Here’s a great movie based on it, and a story nothing less hilarious than you’d expect. Four underage boys got caught watching an R movie which happened to be Canadian. As a result, their mothers decided to initiate a war against Canada for trying to corrupt their kids.

As you can guess, the movie boosts with improper language and explicit scenes, and it therefore got an R rating shortly before it was released. Despite of the censorship issues, it has an incredible artistic value, and it is the only South park movie created so far.

‘The Lego Batman Movie’ (2017)

The Lego Batman Movie is way more about humor than it is about action and superheroes. We’ve got comedy legend Will Arnett playing the very self-involved and ultra-ego Batman – a combination that will make us laugh for hours.

Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982)

If you’re a fan of rock music, put this movie on your list right now! The cult classic focuses on a young and lost rocker, the world he’s created for himself, and the emotional dangers he’s afraid of. Here, we can see paranoia and self-destruction at their best animated versions, but as disturbing as this protagonist’s character is, we still find him fascinating and unforgettable.

This is another movie whose raw and intense depiction of violence and sexuality led to an R rating – yet, it is qualified as one of the best adult animations ever.

‘A Scanner Darkly’ (2006)

The original, life-like animation of Scanner Darkly was a staggering success, in part because of the excellent acting crew behind it. What is really specific is it being shot with actual live action footages that took a year to animate. In 2018, the movie may seem a bit outdated, but it still deserves a look.

Waltz With Bashir (2008)

Member of the specific genre of animated documentaries, Waltz with Bashir brought memories of Lebanon’s 1982 war, and did so better than many live scene movies. It is a masterpiece of director Ari Folman, the guy who used his own memories to portrait the deadly conflict, and to remind us of the cruel reality of war. This movie is not only psychologically effective, but even damaging – the viewing experience is so dark and provocative, and explores such devastating themes that you will never be able to forget it.

At the same time, its disturbingly violent and sexual content, and the number of disturbing graphic images brought it an R rating. Well, we all expected that.

Fire and Ice (1983)

There are two distinctive paths in Ralph Bakshi’s career: his pioneer animations from the 70s that were edgy and explicit; and the early 80s when he created epic and influential, but generally underappreciated fantasies. Among those was also Sorcery cult Fire and Ice, following the intriguing adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.

Bakshi had one of the best fantasy painters Frank Frazetta working on the case. He made the heroic and archetypical tale even more attractive, and took us on a joyful ride to the medieval age of good kings, dark lords, and brave warriors. We’d put this animation work right next to Conan the Barbarian, and name it one of the best animations the world has ever seen.

Team America: World Police (2004)

The classic mixes up politics with pop culture – the protagonists are a commando unit whose headquarters are secret and hidden. They look as glorified versions of Barbie and Ken dolls, as they have loping bodies and fragile marble eyes. You wouldn’t really picture them using a ‘xenophobic bluster’ in their administration, but well…they do!

The movie revives the stoicism of 60s Thunderbirds, which makes it even more intricate and explicit. For instance, there are enough montage puppet sex scenes to consider them as the focal point of the movie; as well as excellent showbiz satire brough to us by Janeane Garofalo and Sean Penn.

‘Yellow Submarine’ (1968)

A play of postmodern puns and surrealist conceits – that’s the best description of this brilliant Beatles movie. Get yourself a bottle of wine, and devote an evening to this pop art splendor and miracle of animation.

Anomalisa (2015)

What if you were a bored customer service agent whose life never seems to become more interesting? That’s the very story of Anomalisa, where the protagonist falls in love with a beautiful woman, and changes his life completely. The piece is touching and romantic and it inspires all of us to look for our soul mates. Just like other Charlie Kaufman movies, it stays under the skin and makes us want to watch it over and over again.

It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012)

This movie was completely hand-made by Don Hertzfeldt’s, and it may not be the most visually exciting anime on this list. Yet, the piece is intellectually and emotionally involving, as it questions the meaning of life as observed by disordered protagonist Bill. The fun and the thrill are way bigger than the synopsis would indicate, so give this masterpiece a try!

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Ghost in the Shell is another awesome attempt to use alternative anime for political goals. It focuses on conspiracy and sexual exploration paired with awesome Sci-Fi actions, a one-of-a-kind mash up with great influence on modern Sci-Fi.

Perfect Blue (1997)

The list of best adult animated movies wouldn’t be complete without this masterpiece of Japanese Animation. Perfect Blue follows the path of a singer who wants to become an artist, but descends instead in the dark and compromised world of her own expectations and ambitions. Practically, Darren Aronofsky recreated the timeless Black Swan piece, but with even more psychodrama and trilling experiences.

Ending thoughts on the best animated movies for adults

Now that we presented the best animation movies for adults, go ahead and have some fun! Both adult cartoon movies and dark animated movies guarantee some serious fun, and they’re all that good that you’ll find it hard to pick a favorite!

If you enjoyed reading this article about the best animated movies for adults, you should read these as well:

The most popular DC animated movies to watch in a lifetime

48 Of The Best Short Animated Films (Oscar winners included)

34 Of The Best Motion Graphics Studios And Their Work

Amazing Adobe After Effects Tutorials You Need To Watch

The post The Best Animated Movies For Adults: The ones to put on your list appeared first on Design your way.

from Web Development & Designing https://www.designyourway.net/blog/inspiration/motion-graphics/best-animated-movies-adults/

[martinfzimmerman]

Frank Holmes: Silly Money Printing, Negative Real Interest Rates, & Restricted Supply Form a “Great Scenario for Gold”

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Mike Gleason (Money Metals Exchange): It is my privilege now to welcome in Frank Holmes, CEO and Chief Investment Officer at U.S. Global Investors. Mr. Holmes has received various honors over the years, including being named America’s Best Fund Manager for 2016 by the Mining Journal. He is also the co-author of the book The Goldwatcher: Demystifying Gold Investing. And is a regular guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business, as well as right here on the Money Metals Podcast.

Frank, welcome back and thanks for joining us again today. How are you?

Frank Holmes (U.S. Global Investors): Outstanding.

Mike Gleason: Well, I’m looking forward to getting into some of these questions with you today, and to start off, I know you’ve had a lot to say about gold here recently in following your market commentaries and your Frank Talks like I do. Now before we get into some other stuff, including the exciting new gold fund that you’ve just launched there at U.S. Global Investors, let’s talk first about where we are in the metals right now. We saw prices heading higher earlier in the year, and then correcting lower more recently, but gold has really hung in there over the last month or so and it’s seemed to have found strong support in the low $1,200s. What do you make of the market action here recently in the metals, Frank?

Frank Holmes: Well, I think a big factor is real interest rates, and what’s happening in the bond markets around the world. A, debt levels are going through record highs. We saw money supply in EU, they jumped 5% in a month. It doesn’t matter, they’re just printing this money, but it’s stimulating their economy and that’s all they care about. And I think that you’re seeing this witness of this proliferation of paper money. You are witnessing that they’re manipulating real interest rates to be negative, and that is always good for gold.

You’re then seeing in the U.S. that even with rising interest rates, the dollar had one of its biggest declines last quarter, up over 3%. So, gold is rising in U.S. Dollar terms for different reasons than the rest, but it is to me, a real positive factor. We have global growth is being ignited from Europe, it’s good in Japan, and this is also good for the backend of gold. Then, I think the supply side is being restricted, and this silly tax in Tanzania of over hundreds of billion dollars. It’s just outrageous what these countries are doing.

You see it in Latin America and you see it in Mongolia and now it’s in Africa. They want money to come into these countries, they move the goalposts. There’s no fiscal stability, there’s no tax regime that’s disciplined for at least 10 years so you’re trapped capital. So, I don’t think you’re going to see supply coming onsite, so I think the world anticipates supply is actually peaking. We look at the gold production of the mines today, and you’re seeing that no more capital is going to come into these high-risk countries, no fly zone, and you’re seeing this continuous printing of money and negative real interest rates. It’s all a great scenario for gold.

Mike Gleason: Expanding the point here on the Fed specifically, the FOMC is meeting again this week. Janet Yellen is taking a more dovish posture, but lots of people still expect another rate hike or two before year end. What are you expecting here, Frank? Is the Fed basically done in your view?

Frank Holmes: Yes. The Fed is done, and in fact, I thought it was interesting that it just recently came out hot on the wire today that the Fed is going to be more about getting rid of some of those bonds they own in the marketplace, rather than raising interest rates now, to de-risk their balance sheet. But I think that they have to be very sensitive on that. So, I don’t think it’s really going to happen to any great degree, because you would have rates rise for anyone who’d want to buy those bonds, and the financial market itself. So, I think we’re in a very precarious situation.

President Trump believes a weak dollar is good for exports, and that’s what we’re seeing. The exports are pretty attractive in the U.S. Anytime you have a weak dollar’s fantastic for Boeing. Have you looked at Boeing’s chart? I mean, it’s a beautiful 45-degree angle, so the world is going to be buying Boeing, and it makes it more competitive against the Airbus. And I think this is so important because they’re high paying jobs and their export business is picking up.

Mike Gleason: Speaking of the dollar, metals should be getting some help from the weakness in the U.S. Dollar. The DXY index peaked in December and has been trending lower ever since. We now sit at the lowest levels in two years, but metals on the whole aren’t really reflecting that trend, at least not yet, or not in a meaningful way, or as much as you’d expect. What are your thoughts on why and what do you see in store for the dollar in the months ahead?

Frank Holmes: Well, I think the big concern is the infrastructure spending. President Trump has not been able to get through many things in the beltway, and he’s up against the beltway party, which is all the government agencies, along with all the lobbyists. And so, this is real evident from Obamacare which they all wanted to make changes to and they couldn’t get their act together twice. The only thing I’ve seen where he’s laid off, they fired 200 government workers in the VA Department, just terrible employees. But that seems to be the only agency that’s taken place that’s taken place with.

There’s been no streamlining except for he’s passed a law that you have to cancel two for opening one new law, but I think that maybe slows down what was on steroids, was every government agency putting through so many regulations and rules which was stymieing the economy. So, I think that this infrastructure, if we get the infrastructure bills passed, and that’s what he should have focused on in the beginning in my opinion, and not personal tax but corporate taxes, because they’re not lightning rods for lots of negative publicity.

Personal income taxes, the rich versus poor debate comes up in the media, and so that just makes it more difficult. But corporate taxes to be globally competitive, that would be easier to float. And I think the infrastructure spending would be easier to float. The last big boom in infrastructure spending was China, with great Gorges Dam, and other projects throughout their country, but there’s nothing of significance that would be beneficial to all the metals and resources like we had from 2001 to 2007.

Mike Gleason: Another potential catalyst for higher gold prices may be the theater surrounding the hiking of the debt ceiling in Washington. Congress is going to wrestle over whether or not to raise the borrowing limit again soon. Do you think we may actually see a real fight or will the Republican leadership manage to push the hike through without much fuss? And then as a follow-up, what kind of market reaction should we expect in gold?

Frank Holmes: I think the same conservative Republicans will be as disruptive as they were for Obamacare as they are for budget. They are very rigid and I was at a conference and I was hearing Alex Green speak, and his comments were that the different between Democratics and Republicans is that Republicans want to have freedom of your money and economics, but they want to control your social and personal agenda. Whereas the Democrats want to have freedom of social personal life, but they want to control your economics. And the fringes on both sides of that is what seems to be dictating or controlling the policies that are frustrating to mainstream America. I thought that was well put.

Mike Gleason: Switching to gold stocks here, and before we get into your new fund, Frank, are we entering a new rally phase after having successfully held above the key $21 support level on the GDX?

Frank Holmes: Well, two things. We’re in the seasonal pattern where gold starts its rally through the summer and rallies with down dips and corrections, but it’s usually from here up to the Chinese New Year, a succession of higher highs. But you can still get these gyrations taking place and downdrafts. So, that’s important to witness, but I think the wind is at your back, not in your face. Two, is the GDXJ, at the end of March, was like collectively with the triple, Direxion, bull and bear, and the GDX, and GDXJ, you add them all up, they were like 17 billion dollars or some big number. And they fell to 12 billion dollars.

You talk about five billion dollars blown out of the gold stocks, and I think the GDXJ has been extremely disruptive to the gold stocks around the world, especially the small mid cap. And it’s hurt financings, it’s hurt confidence and sentiment. I was speaking at a conference in Vancouver and they just couldn’t understand what was going on and I explained to them and then “ah-ha” the lights went off that it was all fund flows. And GDX has been a wonderful success but what’s happening in the psychology of investors is they don’t want to go and buy, give to an active fund manager. And even though last year we won these awards for our performance in the GDX and GDXJ, they want to go and trade the GDX and GDXJ, and what money would normally be distributed amongst 10 different gold fund managers all went to one fund which is then going to own 20 companies owning more than 20% of them.

So, that triggered all these compliance rules so then they had a blowout of three billion dollars in six weeks. So, what took a year for five billion to go in, three billion gets blown out in a very short period of time, and I don’t think a lot of investors are aware that the GDXJ owns a big slug of the GDX. I think it’s its biggest investor. It’s sort of like the movie “Deliverance.” It’s hillbilly time here of cross ownership. And so, the movement of these gold stocks has nothing to do with fundamental factors. It has to do with factors of just fund flows, and they have to buy a basket of names.

So, that was the reason why we launched our GOAU, GO Gold, which is an intelligent set of factors based on 8,000 hours of research of seeing what is the best factors for picking gold stocks as a gold analyst. And then also doing a lot of work on the new buyers in the capital markets, which are the quant funds. And they look for different factors, so we wanted to try to identify what do quant funds look for when they’re picking stocks, in particular the gold space?

And we’ve been able to embed that with a set of rules that are dynamically adjusting and adapting every quarter based on results, and when we back tested going back over 10 years, that particular index that we traded outperformed the GDX/GDXJ 95% of the time in rolling 12-month periods. So, I think that we’ve tried to deal with that as a solution to a problem in the capital markets for gold investors that just want to play the ETFs.

Mike Gleason: Yeah, and doing research on that new fund in advance of this interview, I was very excited about a lot of the things I was reading in there, the U.S. Global GO Gold and Precious Metals Miners ETF… Frank it looks like you have a big emphasis on the streamers and the royalty companies in that fund. Talk about that, and then also talk about how people can maybe get involved in that if they wish.

Frank Holmes: Sure. Well, it’s listed on the New York Stock Exchange. It’s a simple symbol, GO Gold, GOAU. The element symbol for gold is AU, and I think that we went for the streamers because the streamers have more volatility in revenue, and so we found the stocks that have lower volatility in their revenue and their cash flow get a better rating in the capital markets by any industry. Doesn’t matter what the industry is. Other parts that we found what the ratios, when we looked at revenue per employee. When we looked at all the gold stocks and put them all together, et cetera, and we did a test, which if you go to GOAUETF.com, there’s information there. Or go to US Funds(.com), you can get the information of all the research.

And what we found was that they outperformed. If you just take the best 10 names, a mutual fund of any type has to have at least 21 names. It’s a very important factor, is this revenue per employee. So, when you look at great firms like Goldman Sachs, has over a million dollars of revenue per employee, and Newmont has $300,000 of revenue per employee, and Barrick has almost $400,000 of revenue per employee. But interesting enough, Franco-Nevada – which has royalties on those two gold mining stocks’ mines in Nevada – it has 17 million dollars of revenue per employee.

So, it has a much more efficient cost of capital, and so with that, the royalty companies have outperformed the GDX and GDXJ. The other part was that GDXJ which really shocked us in our analysis, is that in the past four years, they’ve been issuing so much stock and financings. Over 100% dilution of issuing shares, but they’ve not grown the reserves per share or the production per share. So, they’ve been issuing shares at a rate of 25% a year, so what does that mean to an investor? That would mean that either the price of gold goes up 25% a year, which it’s not, or their production rises 25% a year, which it’s not, or the reserves per share are rising at 25% per year, and it has not.

So, those stocks are very vulnerable to downdrafts, whereas the royalty companies when they’ve done a financing immediately buy a cash flow. And it shows up that they’re just a safer bet. And the last thing is that the little micro-cap stocks, there’s a housekeeping seal when a Franco-Nevada or a Silver Wheaton or a Royal Gold buys a royalty in those assets, they’re sending their metallurgists, their engineers, their geologists, their whole intellectual brain trust to go and re-vet those assets. It’s like a good housekeeping seal, and for us, it was a way to play a lot of small-caps but they were vetted by those three royalty companies.

Mike Gleason: Yeah, very exciting. There’s certainly some flaws in those other indexes and I think yours is going to be a great one for people to take part in if they want to get exposure to that space. Real quick follow-up, in your view, do we see the miners lead the bullion or the bullion lead the miners? What’s your thought there?

Frank Holmes: I think the miners are going to lead. I think that those companies in particular that can show growth and revenue per share, production per share, cash flow per share, rising price to book, those are going to be the stellar performers. But I think the reasons for that is that the supply of gold coming out of the mines is going to continue to become more scarce, and shrinking supply has always been a catalyst for higher a commodity price. And the runaway printing of money I think that’s going to be just a factor of the continued consumption of gold by China, India. We also see the Russians are continuing to be buyers of gold, because they’re witnessing the currency devaluation with this money printing globally. So, I think that that’s going to be a key factor.

And then when we look at these cryptocurrencies. To me, they’re so fascinating – not so much about them having taken off, although a couple of them have, in particular, Ethereum and Bitcoin, and Bitcoin has been spectacular – but it’s really much more about the paper printing of the other countries. Since these digital currencies have landed in the marketplace, if you take a look, they’re limited in the supply that they can issue. However, the G20 countries have been printing money at an incredible rate, and their balance sheets with buying back their own bonds.

I mean, they’re the biggest buyer of their own bonds and it’s been brilliant to see what the Swiss have done, and the Japanese. They’ve been issuing this money at zero interest rates, and they turn around and take money, they create and print money themselves, and they go buy their own stocks. So, the biggest shareholders in Japan, South Korea, I believe, and also in Switzerland are the central banks. It’s unheard of. Because they recognize that this cheap money has to buy real assets. So, I think that the phenomena of these digital currencies is more a reflection of the lack of confidence in governments that are just printing money as sort of a silly behavior. And I think that the gold market is going to have its point where it just spikes to another level. So, I feel very positive regarding gold.

Mike Gleason: Well, we’ll leave it there. That’s fantastic stuff as usual Frank. We appreciate your insights and it’s always great to hear your thoughts and we really appreciate your time once again. Now, before we let you go, please tell listeners a little bit more about your firm and your services and then also plug the wonderful Frank Talk blog if you would, because this is an absolute must read for anyone listening to this podcast.

Frank Holmes: You’re so kind. I thank you very much. It’s USFunds.com. Subscribe to Frank Talk and Investor Alert. It’s won many awards. When we go up for competitions in the fund world against Fidelity and the Vanguards, which most people know of. It (the Frank Talk blog) is written by portfolio managers, and edited by journalists who are internal. We’re very proud of what we create, and it helps us. It helps me, I’m traveling around the world to relate to investors what I’m seeing and what I think some of the economic benefits are, and risks are. Because we always believe at US Global, in all of our prospectuses that, that government policies are a precursor of change, and it’s important to recognize what those policies are.

So, with that, just go to USFunds.com. I’d love to see you become subscribers, and if you have any ideas or thoughts, please feel free to send it into us.

Mike Gleason: Well, excellent stuff. Thanks as always for your time, Frank. Congratulations on the launch of the GO Gold and Precious Metals Miners ETF. Continued success there, and keep up the good work with those great market commentaries. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and I look forward to catching up with you again sometime in the fall. Take care.

Frank Holmes: Take care.

Mike Gleason: Well, that will do it for this week. Thanks again to Frank Holmes, CEO of U.S. Global Investors, and manager of the new GOAUX gold fund. For more information, the site is USFunds.com. Be sure to check out the previously mentioned Frank Talk blog while you’re there for some of the best market commentary you will find anywhere on gold and other related topics. Again, you can find all that at USFunds.com, and you can also go to GOAUETF.com for more information on that new gold fund.

Mike Gleason is a Director with Money Metals Exchange, a national precious metals dealer with over 50,000 customers. Gleason is a hard money advocate and a strong proponent of personal liberty, limited government and the Austrian School of Economics. A graduate of the University of Florida, Gleason has extensive experience in management, sales and logistics as well as precious metals investing. He also puts his longtime broadcasting background to good use, hosting a weekly precious metals podcast since 2011, a program listened to by tens of thousands each week.

The post Frank Holmes: Silly Money Printing, Negative Real Interest Rates, & Restricted Supply Form a “Great Scenario for Gold” appeared first on Gold Silver Worlds.

from Gold Silver Worlds http://goldsilverworlds.com/gold-silver-experts/frank-holmes-silly-money-printing-negative-real-interest-rates-restricted-supply-form-great-scenario-gold/

[rob-blog1234]

BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND TV HOT FILM PICKS!

Check out my guide to the top films on TV this extended weekend, Friday through to Monday and the best of the rest. Enjoy!

LATE FRIDAY 28th APRIL

HOT PICKS!

ITV2 @ 2100     Shaun of the Dead (2004) *****

Edgar Wright has created something rather special here. This film really proved his capacity for film making. It’s intelligent yet silly but packed full of enough quality jokes to make this a firm favourite that will make you laugh out loud every single time you see it. Pegg and Frost’s tag team are perfect here and the hilarious script is executed with comedy precision dealing some of the best quotable lines ever. I don’t think I’ll be able to order a Cornetto without a smirk ever again.

ITV4 @ 2300       Beetlejuice (1988) *****

I’ve always been a big fan of Michael Keaton and here he pulls out an astounding performance as the green haired, un-dead and thoroughly unpleasant Beetlejuice. A young couple are in a fatal accident and find themselves as poltergeists in their home. As the fail to scare away the new owners of their family home they call upon the crazy striped suited scare monger to help them out. But all is not as it seems. The pace of this horror comedy is relentless and always a delight to watch. Creative, crazy and full of carnage - this is a Tim Burton film we all can enjoy before we got fed up with his insistence of churning out the same old formula. When’s the last time you saw Beetlejuice? No doubt too long ago. Get this on your watch list.

Best of the rest:

Film4 @ 2100      Speed (1994) ****

W @ 2240            Little Miss Sunshine (2006) *****

Syfy @ 2300        Paranormal Activity (2007) ****

Film4 @ 2315      Darkman (1990) ****

BBC1 @ 2355      Fright Night (2011) ***

C4 @ 0010           Attack the Block (2011) ***

5* @ 0020            The Town (2010) ****

SATURDAY 29th APRIL

HOT PICKS!

5* @ 1300       Teen Wolf (1985) *****

This is one of the films that always holds a place in my heart… I love it a little more than it deserves, but who cares. Michael J. Fox is Scott Howard, an average kid who plays for his unsuccessful school basketball team and works part time for his Dad in the local Hardware store. He is fed up of being so average and craves for excitement and success, but he could have never prepared for what happens next. Scott soon realises he comes from a family of Werewolves as one night at a party he begins to go through changes that alter the course of his school life, basketball success and relationships with his family and friends, forever. Teen Wolf is a great bit of 80’s family fun; Michael J. Fox is in his prime and really makes this film a success. With a great 80’s soundtrack and a superb story, Teen Wolf has everything you need for Weekend film escapism. It’s great fun, full of comedy and certainly has the feel good factor.

BBC2 @ 2130      Calvary (2014) *****

How can a film whose opening line is "I first tasted semen when I was seven years old" and a storyline revolving around abuse, revenge, murder and with a consistent undertone of grimness still hold up - and dare I say it be a pleasant experience? Well its amazing balance of quirk with some perfectly placed comedy gives for an interesting emotional ride - I just do not know how it works - but somehow Michael McDonagh - who we have to thank for the excellent buddy cop movie "The Guard" - has woven these inexplicably polarized emotional reactions into a quite perfect dark toned drama with an odd comedy edge. Just writing it doesn't sound right - but you'll see what I mean. Brendan Gleeson is the Priest of a remote Irish Village and from the offset we are reassured he is not involved in any of the awful themes this film navigates. This film dances with serious subjects and beliefs, it steers you from interest, laughter, shock and disgust with an ease that is testament to McDonagh's vision for this film. Its storytelling is spot on and a score and cinematography that on subsequent watches I appreciated even more. This film left me pretty much stunned on first watch and even with its sombre overall feel, it haunted me until a re-watch and continues to do so to this day.

Film4 @ 0025      Troll Hunter (2010) ****

A fantastic addition to the super saturated genre of found footage films. This an example of how it should be done. From the very moment “TROLL!” is yelled I guarantee you will be hooked and when anyone asks you if you’ve seen the film, instead of responding “yes” you are bound to yell “Troll” in their face. The film is silly but with a dramatic edge, it’s ludicrous but the dialogue is so natural, which was impressively mostly ad-libbed. Different to a lot of it found footage poor relations, Troll Hunter gets two big, troll sized, thumbs up for the CGI, the special effects are stunning and add an important vein of quality to the film which is what all successful found footage films need to not feel cheap or just look amateurish. Troll Hunter is a great bit of fun bringing an original edge to a stagnating genre. Watch this.

Best of the rest:

C4 @ 2100         Carol (2015) ****

Syfy @ 2100       Outbreak (1995) ***

W @ 2200          Goodfellas (1990) *****

ITV4 @ 2205      The Devil's Advocate (1997) *****

TCM @ 2310      Escape from LA (1996) ***

C4 @ 2320          Zombieland (2009) ****

ITV4 @ 2355       Don't Say a Word (2001) ***

Gold @ 0010      Little Miss Sunshine (2006) *****

Dave @ 0045     Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003) *****

SUNDAY 30th APRIL

HOT PICKS!

C5 @ 1800      Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) *****

This is one of my guilty pleasures. I adore this film and it is one of my most watched films to date. It is my favourite Robin Hood film packed full of action and comedy. The very American Kevin Costner robs the rich to feed the poor along with his Moorish companion Azeem played by Morgan Freeman. After an escape from their imprisonment by the Turks during the Crusades, Robin and Azeem arrive in England to find Robin’s home and world have been turned upside down. His father has been murdered for crimes he did not commit. Robin swears to avenge his fathers’ death and is pitted against the Sheriff of Nottingham who is brought life by the great Alan Rickman in one of his most memorable performances. He has some of the best lines in the film and adds an edge of brilliance to an already great film. It’s full of adventure and action with stunning rural backdrops of a medieval England. I just dare you not to enjoy yourself - it’s a great film for kids and adults alike.

BBC2 @ 2300      Drive (2011) *****

My top film of 2011 by a long mark. Nicolas Winding Refn goes from strength to strength. Subtle, stunning, a stellar soundtrack and great performances from everyone involved. The glances and looks between Mulligan and Gosling are brilliant. So much is said with so few words. Refn is my currently one of my favourite Directors. Each and every shot is perfect in this film. After ump-teen re-watches, it simply gets better and better. This will no doubt become cult cool. In my book it already is.

C4 @ 0005      Mud (2012) ****

McConaughey confirmed he was back in style and an actor to watch in recent years. This was 100% confirmed with Mud. He pays a fugitive who is living on a remote island in the Mississippi, after an encounter with two adventurous teenage boys, they strike up a tenuous friendship and they agree to help him escape the island. A quality, realistic drama which sticks you right in the centre of this very authentic time and place. Directed by Jeff Nichols who we have to thank for the equally good Take Shelter and has his most recent film Midnight Special was fantastic. Tackling some interesting issues with calibre and style. This is an all American drama not to be missed.

Best of the rest:

ITV1 @ 1600        On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) ****

Horror @ 2100    Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (2010) ****

TCM @ 2100        Escape from LA (1996) ***

ITV4 @ 2205        Beetlejuice (1988) *****

Film4 @ 0120      The Player (1992) ****

MONDAY 1st MAY

HOT PICKS!

Dave @ 1200       Kelly's Heroes (1970) *****

Kelly’s Heroes is one of my most watched war films. Well, it’s more of a heist film that just so happens to be set slap bang in the middle of a war zone in WW2. It’s very funny and from the very start Telly Savalas’s rants put a smile on your face and you know exactly what you are in for. The cast are the main driver for this film’s success with a host of interesting and outrageous characters from Telly Savalas’s larger than life Big Joe to Donald Sutherland’s stoner hippy tank driver, Oddball. It certainly doesn’t scrimp on the action either and there are enough bullets and explosions to take down a small country. It’s not all fun and frolics and it still has a few satirical barbs thrown in for good measure. Kelly’s Heroes is a fantastically fun film. Watch this.

BBC1 @ 2030       Saving Mr. Banks (2013) ****

I absolutely love Mary Poppins - such a great film that I grew up watching it over and over - loving it’s fantastical world each and every time - so I came into Saving Mr. Banks very much looking forward to a view on how this piece of my childhood was brought to the big screen. Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney who is desperately trying to get the rights for Mary Poppins signed off from the Emma Thompson’s stubborn P.L. Travers who holds the story very close to her as a personal and private affair. Thompson’s character is frustrating to the core but this simply builds on the reward for the developments she (and we as an audience) witness. Charming, funny albeit a little sickly sweet in parts - it certainly pressed all my buttons. It made me immediately want to escape back into the world of the wonderful Mary Poppins once again.

Film4 @ 2315      The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) *****

The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson’s most substantial & accomplished film yet. Beautifully rich with a cast to die for. Ralph Fiennes is nothing short of perfect. His versatility and comedy timing is truly impressive and will be difficult to match. This still firmly remains my top film of 2014. It was and is a pure pleasure to re-watch every time.

Best of the rest:

ITV4 @ 1600      Superman (1978) *****

Syfy @ 2100       Robot Overlords (2014) ***

5* @ 2100          The Equalizer (2014) ***

TCM @ 2100      Zoolander (2001) ***

[portfoliow]

Andrew Sarris’ Take on the Auteur Theory by Looking at the Films of Wes Anderson by Paola C. Quintero

In “Notes on the Auteur Theory”, Andrew Sarris states that the auteur theory is misunderstood, vague and “in constant flux”1. The first sentence of the piece is, “...As far as I know, there is no definition of the auteur theory in the English language, that is, by any American or British critic.”2 Sarris then goes on to present three premises of the auteur theory, which are: “...the technical competence of a director as a criterion of value...the distinguishable personality of the director as a criterion of value...and the third and ultimate premise of the auteur theory is concerned with interior meaning, the ultimate glory of the cinema as an art”.3

Sarris proposes that his three premises may be “visualized as three concentric circles: the outer as technique; the middle circle, personal style; and the inner circle, interior meaning. The corresponding roles of the director may be designated as those of a technician, a stylist, and an auteur.”4 Wes Anderson has proven to be a technically competent director, he has infused each and every one of his films with a specific personal style and as far as interior meaning, I believe Anderson has demonstrated his “élan of the soul”5, to borrow Sarris’ expression.

Wes Anderson is a filmmaker from Texas, born in 1969. As a child, he started making super-8 movies and writing plays. Later, while studying philosophy at the University of Texas, Austin Anderson met Owen Wilson, became friends and started making short films.6 In less than two decades he has seen the release of eight feature films written, directed and (seven of these) produced by him: Bottle Rocket (1996), the story of a trio of friends who plan to pull off the perfect robbery; Rushmore (1998), where a high school student and a wealthy industrialist fall in love for the same teacher; The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), a film about three former child prodigies in New York City and their estranged father who returns to live with them and their mother; The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), about a Jacques Cousteau-like character who’s on the hunt for a mythical shark that killed his best friend; The Darjeeling Limited (2007) the tale of three emotionally distant brothers who go on a spiritual journey on a train across India; Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), a stop motion animated version of Roald Dahl’s children’s tale; Moonrise Kingdom (2012), about two young lovers who decide to run away from their homes; and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), a story set in Europe between the wars about the life of a famous hotel concierge told through the nostalgic eyes of his protégé.

Anderson’s films have won many awards, including the Little Golden Lion in 2007 at the Venice Film Festival for The Darjeeling Limited. Prestigious competitions have nominated his films, such as Cannes Film Festival in 2013 for the Palm d’Or for Moonrise Kingdom. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science nominated Moonrise Kingdom for Best Writing in 2013, The Royal Tenenbaums in 2002 for Best Writing, and Best Animated Feature for Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2010. His latest release, The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) became Anderson’s highest grossing film by breaking the $100m mark in ticket sales worldwide.7

Each film has recurring motifs, actors, techniques, cinematography, or obscure music. He has worked with the same actors, cinematographer, composer, and music supervisor in many of his films. His films are described sometimes as quirky, charming, meticulously composed worlds, having obsessively composed frames, featuring a preference for symmetry, fantasy, human emotion, portraying issues of the white middle and upper middles classes, where the heroes/anti-hero is usually male, and featuring ensemble casts.

Ever since his first film, Bottle Rocket, Anderson has proven to be consistent in the themes he portrays in his films, such as: dysfunctional families, estranged family members, infidelity, parental separation, mental illness, suicide, sophisticated and precocious children that don’t fit in, alienation, and falling in love. His comedy/dramas features dry humor, adventure, conflict, tragedy, but the end is usually quite hopeful and uplifting. The hero (or heroes) goes through an experience and becomes a better person in the end because of it. For example, in The Darjeeling Limited the ensemble cast (some of them recurring actors) go on a sometimes quirky and funny journey (which includes an animated tiger) that deals with very tender and profound human themes. The three Whitman brothers don’t trust each other, but by the end, they connect and learn to drop the heavy baggage (literally and figuratively) that was holding them back in many areas of their lives.

Every Wes Anderson film has his stamp, his DNA, his signature. Right from the opening credits, certain elements convey that this is Anderson’s story, that he is the storyteller it, and that this film contains a world he has created. Several of his films, such as The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, start with the opening of theater curtains, a shot of a stage, a painting on a wall, a map illustration, or the cover of an illustrated book. Landscape and portrait painting also feature prominently in his films.

The way Anderson constructs his world is very conscious and visually elegant. His films are rich in color, aesthetic feasts for the eyes, masterful in costume and décor, and inhabited by eccentric characters and situations, yet all of the sudden a very real and emotional punch can hit you out of nowhere. In The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, when Steve Zissou learns that Ned Plimpton might be his son, Zissou takes a moment to absorb the news, with David Bowie cover song in the background. Another example is in The Royal Tenenbaums when Richie Tenenbaum joins Margot Tenembaum in the tent and shows him his suicide attempt scars, this time, with The Rolling Stones playing Ruby Tuesday.

Anderson’s body of work is still evolving; with each film he seems to cover new territory, while still retaining his essence. His films are a mixture of fantasy and human emotion. The rich imaginative world he creates acts as a vehicle that conveys a darker, sadder, and melancholic reality. The emotional sincerity conveyed by the actors can seem unexpected in Anderson’s somewhat artificial and carefully composed worlds. The dialogue is simple and beautiful, like some poetry. In Moonrise Kingdom, even the character realize this:

Sam: Why do you always use binoculars? Suzy: It helps me see things closer. Even if they're not very far away. I pretend it's my magic power. 

Sam: That sounds like poetry. Poems don't always have to rhyme, you know. They're just supposed to be creative.

Wes Anderson’s can be reminiscent of the early filmmakers like George Méliès, who embraced filmmaking, and specifically the mise-en-scène, with a sense of wonder, magic, and illusion. Fantasy and humanism, narration, symmetry, centered doorways, windows, paintings- centered everything in almost every shot, point of view shots, slow-motion cinematography, square framing, rapid zoom in, sweeping camera pan, intricately staged action, flamboyant costume, décor and crowd movement. With each film Wes Anderson demonstrates pleasure for visually telling a story. He is fascinated by the act of story telling (not the story) and by the process and magic of filmmaking. His films have demonstrated that he is a master at calculated beauty.

1 Sarris, 517 

2 Sarris, 515

3 Sarris, 516 

4 Sarris, 517

5 Sarris, 517

6 Wes Anderson, www.IMDB.com

7 The Guardian

REFERENCES:

Anderson, Wes. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0027572/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Beaumont-Thomas, Ben. “The Grand Budapest Hotel becomes Wes Anderson’s highest grossing film”. The Guardian. 16, April 2014. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0027572/? ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Bottle Rocket. Dir Wes. Anderson. Columbia Pictures. 1996. Film.

The Darjeeling Limited. Dir. Wes Anderson. Twentieth Century Fox. 2007. Film.

Fantastic Mr. Fox. Dir. Wes Anderson. Twentieth Century Fox. 2009. Film.

The Grand Budapest Hotel. Dir. Wes Anderson. Scott Rudin Productions. 2014. Film.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Dir. Wes Anderson. Touchstone Pictures. 2004. Film.

Moonrise Kingdom. Dir. Wes Anderson. Scott Rudin Productions. 2012. Film. The Royal Tenenbaums. Dir. Wes Anderson. Touchstone Pictures. 2001. Film. Rushmore. Dir. Wes Anderson. Touchstone Pictures. 1998. Film. Sarris, A. “Notes on Auteur Theory in 1962”. Print.

[lastgenpodcast]

Princess and the Frog-A Think Piece

Someone once asked why Princess and the Frog didn’t do as well as say Tangled or Frozen when it comes to popularity. I thought this was an interesting question due to the wide variety of reasons that seem to entangle themselves into this question. While I believe part of the lack of popularity may come from an obvious reason, I want to dig a little deeper and do some critical thinking on this topic.  Perhaps my perspective as a Disney lover and a female will bring us to another side of the argument.  Before I begin, let me just say that I don’t think there is one clear-cut answer and, by all means, I don’t propose that my theory is better than others.  This is just to make you think about this issue from another point of view.  

Let’s start with some background to the time period that surrounded the world at the time that this movie premiered.  The country had just been through a period where everyone was suspicious of one another, travel was a nightmare, and financials were a mess. The country also made a decision to back change and a positive attitude (mostly) though there were some dissenting voices. Overall, 2009 had more of a positive feel than many years previously.  Despite that, and I believe the most recent time can attest to the heart of the people, there is that underlying issue that may have played a part in why people didn’t run to the theater for this movie. Yet, looking at numbers, this film didn’t do so terribly.  It was the 5th highest grossing animated movie in 2009 (keeping in mind this year also brought us Up, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, A Christmas Carol, The Secret of Kells, and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs-besides the many smaller animated and direct to video releases).  It grossed $104 million in the US and Canada, but earned $267 million worldwide.  It was nominated for 3 Academy Awards, but lost to Up and Crazy Heart, which are wonderful movies in their own right.  

The thing about Princess and the Frog is what it did more for Disney animation than anything else. This was the first traditionally animated film since Home on the Range, one I have not seen yet, and was the first “princess” movie since Pocahontas and Mulan (which may be argued wasn’t a “princess” movie at all).  The animation department at Disney had not been firing on all cylinders with putting out stories that did not hit with the masses as Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast once had.  This was also the first film to bring back the Broadway-style music that captured the attention of audiences like those films in the 1990s.  With all these firsts, it would seem someone finally realized people wanted more than just bland animated stories quickly pumped out on the computer, and it’s clear that Disney forgot that one of the main factors in its major films is the music.  Bringing all these factors together really makes this film hit for me, as so many others who gave it a whirl.  

So, why the disconnect? Where did this movie lose people. Many purport that it’s a race thing, which may be accurate. To put some numbers in perspective, Pocahontas made $346 million worldwide ($141 million by Jan 1996) and Mulan brought in $304 worldwide ($120 million in the US and Canada).  Could these numbers be because of the previous films that were already tops, so another Disney film just brought people to the theater? Maybe.  Could it be people were more willing to watch a movie set farther back in history than say the 1920s? That may also be a thing.  Could it be the internet wasn’t such a big thing and the only way to get a review of a movie was to either read a critic’s write up or just go and hope for the best? Definitely something to consider.  Or is the fact that Tiana was loudly and proudly proclaimed as the first African American princess and hyped up long before the release of the movie, with the election of our first African American President rubbing some people the wrong way, causing many people to do what has now become the “thing” to do and hate something just for the sake of hating it? Super possible.  

What other perspective is there that I could possibly show that would make that last option not the main one to go with?  Well, the fact may lie in the history of other Disney princesses.  As we know, many of the typical Disney stories were fairy tales taken from very early times and set long before the 1800s.  That being the case, many of the roles we once held as “typical” princess/female lead were no longer being portrayed in a story from the 1920s.  We sort of saw this change with the character of Princess Ariel, who rebelled against her father and tried to do her own thing; Princess Jasmine, who, while wanting to rebel, didn’t really go that far as she got married anyway and she had a much kinder father than Ariel; and even Belle and Pocahontas who were far more stronger female leads than say Snow White or Aurora, but were still motivated mostly by love/romance.  Yet, the idea of a woman, no matter her skin color, wanting to do something such as own her own business and be independent is not something that, even today, is very popular.  There are many places and careers that hinder the escalation of women into top roles and some even actively prevent a woman from truly being at the top- even in the 21st century!  So setting this movie in a time when women were not very independent, and adding on top of that the traditional Disney princess mold being broken, it makes the traditionalist in many give it pause.  

Now, what do I mean by the traditional Disney princess mold- it’s not her race if that’s what you’re thinking.  It’s the fact that many of the “traditional” princesses were modeled after the meek woman whose only real drive in life is to find that one true love and get married.  Tiana doesn’t need any of that. She wants to do her own thing since this is where her true happiness is found.  At the end, she realizes that having others around her also can make her happy, she isn’t defined by her significant other or the role she plays in his life.  In fact, he is the one that seems to have lost everything and is only made better through his association with her.  It’s not typical for the woman to be the one that completes the relationship- it was typically the strong, handsome man that “fixed” all the girl’s problems.  This is a bold stance for the story to take, and one that was seemingly repeated, though a little softer in Tangled. While Flynn is the one that gets her out of the tower and shows her the city, Rapunzel was seemingly on her way there- she just needed a push.  And Flynn’s redemption comes via his sacrifice for Rapunzel rather than her making the decision to cut her own hair to spite Mother Gothel’s plan.  Rapunzel leaned a bit more to this traditional princess idea of sacrificing for the guy and finding her happiness in him (as well as reuniting with her family). But the fact that there was a short put out not long after that film about their wedding just goes to prove that people want that “happily ever after” ending.  It wasn’t until Frozen that the typical mold was truly broken and everyone could see that a princess (or queen) didn’t need a man to find her true love and her self worth wasn’t dependent on a man’s acceptance of her.  And word of mouth was really where Frozen shone, so if people aren’t recommending Princess and the Frog, this gem remains somewhat undiscovered.  

Tiana was the first to really test that traditional mold and fight back against the idea of a woman needing a man to complete her story- she completed his in fact.  However, another issue with this movie comes up when we discuss the word of mouth scenario.  We have mentioned many times that marketing for movies has not been a strong point lately for Disney, particularly in regards to their animated movies.  I thought Frozen was going to be a buddy-cop type movie with a snowman and reindeer; Zootopia was just talking animals one of which was snarky and one was a goody-two-shoes.  So, while there was a lot of talk before Princess and the Frog regarding the first African American Disney princess, talk of the movie and proper promotion was somewhat lacking.  Most egregious, though, must be the lack of park presence.  While Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee was a delightful surprise in the parks, this only ran from October 2009 through January 2010 in Walt Disney World and from November 2009 through January 2010 in Disneyland.  In Disneyland, this movie got more love from 2011 through 2013 when Tiana’s Mardi Gras Celebration, which initially ran from January through October 2010, again ran for the “Limited Time Magic” promotion.  Yet, considering that the Move It, Shake It parade is still floating down Main Street, I find the lack of park presence to be aggravating at best, particularly with New Orleans Square in Disneyland and the riverboat in Walt Disney World as the perfect settings for these characters (probably more so in Disneyland, hence the extended Mardi Gras celebration). Though, it does seem some justice is being done with the incorporation of Dr. Facilier in the Halloween party and Tiana is finally representing up on the stage show at Magic Kingdom in Mickey’s Friendship Faire.  But, as someone who has been to the parks since age 3, and who has many friends taking young children, I feel that additional park presence would allow for additional exposure to these characters and perhaps a new found favorite for those children not typically exposed to these movies at home.  The music is surely catchy enough to warrant repeated plays in the car and the colors of the movie are truly captivating.  Plus, there’s a talking alligator who loves to play the trumpet and a cajun firefly- I mean honestly now!  

So, while the very easy answer to the question of the obscurity of this movie may be to blame it on racism, I truly feel there’s more at work here.  I do feel the non-traditional woman role is interesting to tackle, but also the seeming lack of faith parks and resorts have in hiding these characters from park guests.  What do you think?  Could the answer be so basic or is there something more at work here?  Do you love this movie- make sure to recommend it to your friends and get them to recommend it also!  The more love we can garner the better!