I feel bad for not doing enough writing. But this is a time during the year where I don't have enough to write about. Just wait until things start to get busy.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Practice in Photoshop
I need to make a daily/weekly thing out of this. Illustrating in Photoshop is something I am behind in. Actually, I don't do as much digital drawing as I probably should be (most of the jobs here in New York call for it). I have posted these drawings on others sites already, but I might as well place them here.
I feel bad for not doing enough writing. But this is a time during the year where I don't have enough to write about. Just wait until things start to get busy.
I feel bad for not doing enough writing. But this is a time during the year where I don't have enough to write about. Just wait until things start to get busy.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
WALL-E
I wish I had written this sooner, but I had other things distracting me. But I just had to do a review of Pixar's latest offering, Wall-E.
Wall-E has a story that differs immensely from Pixar's previous movies. Writer/director Andrew Stanton truly has a spark to take us to different worlds, and explore their atmospheres. It starts off on Earth, nearly 800 or so years into the future. The planet's atmosphere is covered with broken satellites, and the entire surface is a wasteland of garbage, sludge, and dust. We then meet WALL-E, a disposal-robot who is revealed to be the last being left alone on the planet.
The majority of Pixar's previous film's were "buddy" pictures (Toy Story, Monsters. Inc, Finding Nemo) or concerned individuals seeking to prove themselves (Cars, Ratatouille). This time, we have a character like WALL-E, who simply wishes to be loved and show affection. The character of EVE more or less follows the latter plot line, except she isn't trying to prove anything; rather she learns that there is something else beyond her directive purpose.
Love is clearly one of the biggest themes in the movie. WALL-E and EVE's budding romance is more central to the story than the romance in Pixar's previous movies.
Wall-E can also be argued as Pixar's most pessimistic story to date. It depicts what would happen if an international corporation (Buy N Large or BNL) gained enough power to be Earth's sole government. The Earth becomes over-polluted, all humans are sent into Space to wait for Earth to be cleaned up, and ultimately, BNL fails to take any responsibility. 700 years later, the humans in space are unaware of what has become of their home planet, and in the care of BNL's robots, they evolve into grotesquely obese beings who are too weak or distracted to do anything on their own.
I think that is a superb premise, and a pretty risky one.
The animation and visual design of the movie is remarkable. The look of the wasted Earth has so much atmosphere and depth. You get the feeling of a place that is really hot and it smells from every direction. You sort of get a feeling of claustrophobia in several places, which soon gets freed up when the setting shifts to outer space.
Something I cannot stress my greatest appreciation for is the way the dialog is handled. Wall-E and EVE (as well as the movie's many other robots) have very few words, including their names for the most part. As such, there is very little reliance on dialog to carry the story in several parts of the movie. The first 40 minutes of the film has so few human voices, that when we shift to the human characters, the sensation is pretty strong (its somewhat similar to 2001: A Space Odyssey, though not exactly).
The music is also quite unique. Thomas Newman, who provided the score for Finding Nemo (also directed by Andrew Stanton), composes a score that tailors itself to the characters. The music is very rhythmic with WALL-E, and very lush with EVE, and it gets busier when necessary. The music when WALL-E sees EVE for the first time is one of my favorite parts of the film, as well as when WALL-E and EVE are dancing outside the space station. And of course, there is a lovely song at the end, performed by one of my idols, Peter Gabriel.
I'm sure this review is too long already. And I think my praise is clear. This is truly one of Pixar's best. I encourage anyone reading this to go see it big-screen before it is too late.
Oh, and one more thing. As usual, Pixar has a short film that accompanies the movie. The short, "Presto," is a really charming and cute telling of the relationship between a magician and his rabbit. It seems to bear a slight resemblance to my own short, Ivan's Act. And also, there wasn't a preview for Pixar's next movie, as there usually is with each of their theatrical releases. Guess we'll find out later on.
Wall-E has a story that differs immensely from Pixar's previous movies. Writer/director Andrew Stanton truly has a spark to take us to different worlds, and explore their atmospheres. It starts off on Earth, nearly 800 or so years into the future. The planet's atmosphere is covered with broken satellites, and the entire surface is a wasteland of garbage, sludge, and dust. We then meet WALL-E, a disposal-robot who is revealed to be the last being left alone on the planet.
The majority of Pixar's previous film's were "buddy" pictures (Toy Story, Monsters. Inc, Finding Nemo) or concerned individuals seeking to prove themselves (Cars, Ratatouille). This time, we have a character like WALL-E, who simply wishes to be loved and show affection. The character of EVE more or less follows the latter plot line, except she isn't trying to prove anything; rather she learns that there is something else beyond her directive purpose.
Love is clearly one of the biggest themes in the movie. WALL-E and EVE's budding romance is more central to the story than the romance in Pixar's previous movies.
Wall-E can also be argued as Pixar's most pessimistic story to date. It depicts what would happen if an international corporation (Buy N Large or BNL) gained enough power to be Earth's sole government. The Earth becomes over-polluted, all humans are sent into Space to wait for Earth to be cleaned up, and ultimately, BNL fails to take any responsibility. 700 years later, the humans in space are unaware of what has become of their home planet, and in the care of BNL's robots, they evolve into grotesquely obese beings who are too weak or distracted to do anything on their own.
I think that is a superb premise, and a pretty risky one.
The animation and visual design of the movie is remarkable. The look of the wasted Earth has so much atmosphere and depth. You get the feeling of a place that is really hot and it smells from every direction. You sort of get a feeling of claustrophobia in several places, which soon gets freed up when the setting shifts to outer space.
Something I cannot stress my greatest appreciation for is the way the dialog is handled. Wall-E and EVE (as well as the movie's many other robots) have very few words, including their names for the most part. As such, there is very little reliance on dialog to carry the story in several parts of the movie. The first 40 minutes of the film has so few human voices, that when we shift to the human characters, the sensation is pretty strong (its somewhat similar to 2001: A Space Odyssey, though not exactly).
The music is also quite unique. Thomas Newman, who provided the score for Finding Nemo (also directed by Andrew Stanton), composes a score that tailors itself to the characters. The music is very rhythmic with WALL-E, and very lush with EVE, and it gets busier when necessary. The music when WALL-E sees EVE for the first time is one of my favorite parts of the film, as well as when WALL-E and EVE are dancing outside the space station. And of course, there is a lovely song at the end, performed by one of my idols, Peter Gabriel.
I'm sure this review is too long already. And I think my praise is clear. This is truly one of Pixar's best. I encourage anyone reading this to go see it big-screen before it is too late.
Oh, and one more thing. As usual, Pixar has a short film that accompanies the movie. The short, "Presto," is a really charming and cute telling of the relationship between a magician and his rabbit. It seems to bear a slight resemblance to my own short, Ivan's Act. And also, there wasn't a preview for Pixar's next movie, as there usually is with each of their theatrical releases. Guess we'll find out later on.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Doodles from a Tattoo Parlor
Summertime is considerably inacitve for animation. At least for me. Until my work restarts and the organizations are up again, I can't really think of anything much to comment on. I'm sure something will come to me at some point. But for now, I'm just going to post some drawings here. Here's something that was done on a visit to a tattoo parlor (not for me, but for a friend of my sister's).
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Getting something down
I need to post more drawings.
These were done at the Hubley screening at the MOMA last month.
These were done at the Hubley screening at the MOMA last month.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Pros and Cons of a Kung-Fu Panda
I can't believe how slowly things move. I can't even bring myself to the blog on a regular basis, because I spend most of my time job-hunting, or working on festivals. I just don't have enough to report on for the time being. Right now, I can at least offer up a review of Dreamworks' latest, Kung Fu Panda.
Let me just start with this. I have a particularly big problem with most of what Jeffrey Katzenberg's animation studio has put out in the past ten years. A lot of it follows the same routine. A bigger emphasis on the celebrities who voice the characters than the actual characters or story; and a plot that is built up around countless pop-culture references. They commercialize these movies to the point that there is no artistic merit to speak of.
Kung-Fu Panda, which I just got around to seeing, is still part of the routine, but with some definite improvements.
The Pros.
The animation here is a hell of a lot better than the previous Dreamworks Animation flicks. The characters don't have that horrible toothpick movement the Shrek movies have. The characters move and stretch in ways that are clear and easy to look at. Some of the expressions are really nice too. And the coloring in certain scenes is quite beautiful.
This is first time (I can recall) there being no recognizable pop-culture references thrown all over the movie's plot. This is a huge relief, because when there is a huge focus on pop-culture in a film, then the final product lacks a sense of timelessness. If this were my movie, I would want it to be remembered. I can't see anything about the Shrek movies being successful in another ten or fifteen years.
And finally. The movie is bookended with traditional hand-drawn animation. This must be a trend that started with nt-style:italic;">Ratatouille's 2D animated end credits. But in Kung-Fu Panda, there is a lot more of it, and it is beautifully stylized and colored. In charge of this animation is James Baxter, a renowned Disney animator. I must applaud Mr. Baxter and his team. .
The Cons.
There is still too much emphasis on the actors who play the characters. Everytime I saw and heard the Panda, I saw and heard Jack Black. I like some of Jack Black's live action work, but I can't applaud his voice over work. The same goes for some of the other actors: Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, and others). I have said it many times: some of these actors just don't know how to add charm and charisma to their voices in order to bring these characters to life.
The story and dialog felt like shadows of stories I have heard many times. There was nothing new or inventive about the plot, and I felt like I heard it all before. Some of the characters seemed like shadows as well. For example, there is a scene at the end when it looks like the Kung-Fu master has died, when in fact he is just tired. The way that scene is portrayed felt too predictable and the dialog was too chunky.
My opinion of the film is pretty mixed. It is not a perfect film, but with some vast improvements from previous Dreamworks movies. I guess I could watch this film again, but I can't predict what will become of it in ten or twenty years.
Let me just start with this. I have a particularly big problem with most of what Jeffrey Katzenberg's animation studio has put out in the past ten years. A lot of it follows the same routine. A bigger emphasis on the celebrities who voice the characters than the actual characters or story; and a plot that is built up around countless pop-culture references. They commercialize these movies to the point that there is no artistic merit to speak of.
Kung-Fu Panda, which I just got around to seeing, is still part of the routine, but with some definite improvements.
The Pros.
The animation here is a hell of a lot better than the previous Dreamworks Animation flicks. The characters don't have that horrible toothpick movement the Shrek movies have. The characters move and stretch in ways that are clear and easy to look at. Some of the expressions are really nice too. And the coloring in certain scenes is quite beautiful.
This is first time (I can recall) there being no recognizable pop-culture references thrown all over the movie's plot. This is a huge relief, because when there is a huge focus on pop-culture in a film, then the final product lacks a sense of timelessness. If this were my movie, I would want it to be remembered. I can't see anything about the Shrek movies being successful in another ten or fifteen years.
And finally. The movie is bookended with traditional hand-drawn animation. This must be a trend that started with nt-style:italic;">Ratatouille's 2D animated end credits. But in Kung-Fu Panda, there is a lot more of it, and it is beautifully stylized and colored. In charge of this animation is James Baxter, a renowned Disney animator. I must applaud Mr. Baxter and his team. .
The Cons.
There is still too much emphasis on the actors who play the characters. Everytime I saw and heard the Panda, I saw and heard Jack Black. I like some of Jack Black's live action work, but I can't applaud his voice over work. The same goes for some of the other actors: Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, and others). I have said it many times: some of these actors just don't know how to add charm and charisma to their voices in order to bring these characters to life.
The story and dialog felt like shadows of stories I have heard many times. There was nothing new or inventive about the plot, and I felt like I heard it all before. Some of the characters seemed like shadows as well. For example, there is a scene at the end when it looks like the Kung-Fu master has died, when in fact he is just tired. The way that scene is portrayed felt too predictable and the dialog was too chunky.
My opinion of the film is pretty mixed. It is not a perfect film, but with some vast improvements from previous Dreamworks movies. I guess I could watch this film again, but I can't predict what will become of it in ten or twenty years.
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