Must See
Revisiting >> Fantastic Mr. Fox
Finally saw Fantastic Mr. Fox! And it did not disappoint. Think of the brilliance and detail of Wes Anderson’s directing style mixed with the wit and nostalgia of Roald Dahl’s writing, plus the charm of stop-motion animation, and you can imagine what a wonderful film this results in.
So anyway, now that I’ve seen it, I went back and watched these making-of videos again. The one at top I’ve already posted once, but I think it’s worth watching again. I’m just amazed at the detail and intricacy of how all the sets, props, and characters were created, shot, and animated.
There’s no way you can watch these and not want to see the film.
Does this convince you Wes Anderson is a genius or what?
Stop-motion animation! Amazing! 24 stills for every second of film! Also, they way they recorded the voices is pretty impressive… usually for animation work, actors just sit in a studio and read the lines… not for a Wes Anderson film!
They photographed every piece of furniture in Dahl’s house and created a miniature of it!
Ok now I want to watch it all over again.
Must See
Must See >> Sophia Coppola's new movie
Looks like she’s done it again, and I can already tell the soundtrack is going to be awesome.
I love this woman.
Must See
Must See >> Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop
Very curious to see Banksy’s documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop.”
If you’re unfamiliar with the mysterious/prankish street artist Banksy, who pulls stunts like replacing art in museusms with his own pieces and whose work sells for millions, or to read more about the premise of the documentary, check out this article in the NYT.
Since Banksy’s work regularly plays with irony and the idea of “the art world,” many people have questioned how “real” this documentary is. Of this issue, the Melena Ryzik says in the NYT article:
“Ultimately, wondering whether “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is real or not may be moot. It certainly asks real questions: about the value of authenticity, financially and aesthetically; about what it means to be a superstar in a subculture built on shunning the mainstream; about how sensibly that culture judges, and monetizes, talent.”
See more Banksy work here.
Must See
Must See >> Winnebago Man
***For some reason the trailer is not appearing on certain browsers. If that happens, just click the jump, and then the whole post should appear, including both videos.
Ever wonder what happens to the people who become accidentally famous via youtube?
Dying to see this documentary, which I think has the potential to be really touching…
“Jack Rebney is the most famous man you’ve never heard of — an RV salesman whose hilarious, foul-mouthed outbursts circulated underground on VHS tapes in the 90s before turning into a full-blown Internet phenomenon in 2005. Today, the “Winnebago Man” has been seen by more than 20 million people worldwide, and is regarded as one of the first and funniest viral videos. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer goes in search of Rebney — and finds him living alone on a mountain top, unaware of his fame. WINNEBAGO MAN is a laugh-out-loud look at viral culture and an unexpectedly poignant tale of one man’s response to unintended celebrity.” -From the Winnebago Man website
Click through for the original Winnebago Man youtube clip, which is even less SFW than the trailer above, as well as more on the film and the history of the clip.
“Following a two-week shoot in August 1988 for a Winnebago sales ad, a 4-minute outtakes reel surfaced and eventually came to be known as “Winnebago Man.” While the finished sales ad was sent to Winnebago dealers to promote the 1989 Itasca Sunflyer motorhome, copies of the “Winnebago Man” outtakes were being passed amongst the crew and their friends on VHS tape. Eventually the video fell in the hands of videotape collectors, who began copying and trading it, sparking an underground phenomenon that turned Jack Rebney into a cult hero. When the online video revolution took off on YouTube and other websites, Jack Rebney became one of the first viral video superstars.
Today, the “Winnebago Man” clip continues to attract new fans from around the world, including a notable following in Hollywood. The “Winnebago Man” has been quoted in movies and on TV by everyone from Ben Affleck to Alec Baldwin to SpongeBob SquarePants. Conan O’Brien named the “Winnebago Man” video as one of his all-time favorites on YouTube, and Spike Jonze (Where the Wild Things Are) is rumored to have sent out copies of “Winnebago Man” as Christmas gifts. Iron Man 2 features a scene with Tony Stark’s dad, inspired by the Winnebago Man outtakes. There’s even a painting of Jack Rebney – as Shrek – that hangs in offices of Dreamworks Animation!”
Must See
Soy Cuba – “I am Cuba” – 1964
I just discovered the film Soy Cuba, from 1964… I’m sure any film buff already knows of it, but for me it was such a treasure to find!
The film has a really interesting history. It was filmed in 1964, after the Cuban Revolution, and the resulting US isolation, when Cuban filmmakers had starting reaching out to Soviet companies to help them produce their films. It was directed by a Georgian, Mikhail Kalatozov, and attempts to show Cuba at the time from four different perspectives– luxury, poverty, vagrancy, and revolution.
At the time of its release, it was rejected both by Cubans and Soviets, for different reasons, and went unknown outside of those countries. It wasn’t until 1995, when a Cuban co-director of the Telluride had it screened, that it was re-discovered.
It then garnered the interest of both Martin Scorcese and Francis Ford Coppola, who both realized its incredible cinematographic merit and decided to lend their names to its re-release. Beyond its plot (which is not its strong suit or even its main focus), and its propagandistic nature, its hard to deny the amazing visual qualities of the film, which have influenced many famous American movies.
(Most directly, the scene above, which goes from a rooftop beauty pageant down to a hotel pool and then underwater in the pool, was used in Boogie Nights, but many other films have borrowed more loosely from Soy Cuba.)
One of the main things the film is noted for is the use of long tracking shots– which were done with a handheld camera. In the clips at above, the camera goes up or down entire stories of buildings simply by being handed off from one crew member to another– no cranes or anything mechanical involved to create these incredibly long takes. Pretty amazing.
In the shot above, which follows a funeral procession, the camera goes up four stories and then in through the window of a cigar factory and back out again. The effect of leaving behind the coffin as the focal point and smoothly transitioning into a setting so iconically Cuban is pretty awesome. Unfortunately the only clip of it I found doesn’t have the original music, but it’s still pretty amazing visually.
(The scene above isn’t that noteworthy, I just really loved the song, and the panning of all the women at the bar. The second half, with the Russian overdubbing, gets really weird though.)
I was so spellbound by the visuals in this incredible (even if totally biased and/or cliche) look at Cuba, from the very first moments of the clip at top, that I just had to share… check them out when you have a minute to soak it up. I feel like I just time-traveled back to 1960s Cuba.
Buy the re-release of Soy Cuba / I am Cuba here.
Must See
Spike Jonze: “How They Get There”
An amazing short by Spike Jonze of only 2 minutes and 26 seconds.
Must See
Waiting for Superman
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Must See
Must See >> Herb & Dorothy
“The incredible true story of a postal worker and a librarian who built a world-class art collection.”
I love them. And I love that they are so different from the rest of the “art world” and made no attempt to become part of that world. They just loved art, and it seems they were respected for it. Can’t wait to see it.
And apparently you can watch it on Amazon instant! I didn’t know there was such a thing, but Decorno says there is.. pretty cool.
Must See
The Ephemeral Rebellion
This trailer doesn’t give too much away, but I’m still intrigued…
Must See
Basquiat: The Radiant Child
Sorry! The trailer didn’t publish the first time for some reason…
