iPhone

I'm probably not the first to think of this, and probably not the first to blog about it. But to be fair this was an original thought and I haven't consulted an internet before writing this.

When do you think we'll see an iPhone with a camera on the front to do video chat w/ somebody?

1, 2, 3, 4

I know you remember this song from every effing commercial break ever a few months ago. I never actually took the time to listen to the actual song, because my brain's interpretation of the song sounded a lot like this...



...and I am no longer that big of a fan of Sesame Street.

Rock-afire Explosion

Are you a child of the 80s? I am. I started remembering stuff around 1985/86ish and the long journey of shaping my life for myself had begun. Of course, nobody knows that when they're 3, but in retrospect... In any case, I bring up being a child of the 80s because I was fortunate enough to be the proper age to experience Chuck E. Cheese's and restaurant of that nature in their prime. And as any party-time pizza restaurant patron can attest to, a big part of the actual "dinner" portion of the evening was spent being entertained by anima-tronic animal bands. I stumbled across this video...



...whilst reading some other blogs I like. I found the entire experience to rekindle some of those dusty old memories of childhood I hadn't visited in a while.

And then I found out they're making a movie about it.

The Weeds Paradox

The TV show Weeds is a perfect of example of why you don't work children into the narrative elements of a long running series. Now in it's fourth season, the Botwin boys are unmistakably aging, and no good can come of it. Early on in the series, the characters acted as little more than emotional sounding lines for Nancy. They had their own minor plot lines, sure, but minor is all they really were. Occasionally the needs of the brothers would intrude upon the larger scope of the narrative (Silas steals a ton of weed, Shane goes crazy, etc.), but they just couldn't compete with the far more interesting stories of Doug, Andy, Conrad, and the rest of the lot. Oh yeah, and Silas was such a whiny bitch.

Interesting, considering it was a scene from this week's episode, "Lady's a Charm," centered around Silas that sparked the writing of this post. He had that stupid emo haircut, constantly disobeyed his mother, and complained nonstop about everything. Silas was a brat. What's my point

I guess the boys are on summer vacation, and they live in southern California, so the passage of time relative to school or the changing of seasons can be ignored. But the treatment of the characters with respect to the plot needs to be more consistent. I actually like the idea of treating the boys as if they were however old, and always have been, each new season. It's something I don't think has been tried before on television and leads to a bevy of story ideas the writers might not be able to fit into the show in one pass.

The timeline of the show moves at a glacial pace. I don't even think the last dozen or so episodes, which so far span all of season 4 and most of season 3, have covered more than a few months in Weeds-time.

they were lost amidst the much more interesting story arcs and stronger performances by the older and wonderfully played ensemble cast.

read: fourth year of watching Hunter Parish and Alexander Gould mature before the camera





Kevin Nealon and Justin Kirk, as Doug Wilson and Andy Botwin, respectively.

WALL-E (2008)

Pixar seems to good to be true. The studio responsible for such groundbreaking films such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles has another bona fide classic on its hands with this summer's WALL-E. It would seem that, at some point, the bubble would have to burst and Pixar would have to produce a flop. It's just not natural to be this good this consistently.

WALL-E continues Pixar's tradition of increasingly beautiful computer animated films. The visual care present in each successive film always seems years ahead of what the rest of the industry is doing or capable of. It's nice to see filmmakers that aren't content with resting on their laurels; the envelope is continually being pushed. But the impressive technical feats of their movies is just the icing on the cake. These craftsmen have always cared as much about telling a good story as creating a visually stimulating one. And that is, perhaps, where WALL-E's greatest strength lies.

Director Andrew Stanton, who previously directed Finding Nemo and has had a hand in most Pixar creations, has crafted a tale with virtually no dialogue; a substantial risk if one expects to be able to entertain the children of the ADD generation. Adding to this bold experiment is the inclusion of live-action footage, a not so subtle jab at the direction the human race may be headed, and a soundtrack that consists largely of songs plucked from 1969's Hello, Dolly!.

WALL-E meanders from one exquisite setpiece to another, stopping occasionally for some touching characterizations and brief bouts of exposition, never in a hurry to get where its going. It's refreshing to see a major motion picture take the time to meditate on the simple charm of watching WALL-E himself discover things about himself and the world around him. Plot-wise this is the simplest Pixar movie yet, but who needs a plot when the other elements are so overwhelmingly enjoyable.

Grade = A

Visually Spare?

In reading the A.V. Club article "Primer: Pixar" I was confounded by the term "visually spare" in Donna Bowman's and Noel Murray's description of Finding Nemo. Having the utmost respect for these two writers and their opinions, I must respectfully disagree with their assessment. The colors pop, the scenery is dense, the effects are gorgeous, and the character models ooze detail. Granted, there are stretches where there isn't much to see, but the characters are in the ocean - sometimes there' s gonna be some dead space. And even in those scenes there's always something happening; debris wafting by, subtle reflections or beams of light penetrating the deep, and so forth. Visually spare... ha.

In all fairness, perhaps our definitions differ. I consider the visual upgrade from Monsters, Inc. to Finding Nemo to be the most substantial in Pixar's filmography, acknowledging that with each successive release their movies look better and better. So while Ratatouille may be the, to use my term, most lavish animated film ever, that title is probably going to be WALL-E's today when I see it. I don't know, it's still #10 all-time and my #2 Pixar.

...and this is why.

As an "in response to..." article I never really gave much thought to having to defend my choices for the animated top 10, but after re-reading I see that the argument for my top 10, or against AFI's (depending on how you look at it) hasn't really been supported. So let's get to it...

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Most people already understand the importance of this film; being the first full-length animated feature. I admit it is sort of a cop-out #1, but considering when and how it was made, the fact it still stands up against the best hand-drawn animation of today, and what it did for the cinema industry, and the Disney company, as a whole it's hard to knock it. We may not have had animated features at all if it weren't for the success of this movie.

2. Beauty and the Beast - A controversial choice? Maybe, but since when is any #2 choice on a list not? But it's also the strongest film from the Disney renaissance and perhaps, as a complete motion picture, one of the best Disney films ever, which is saying something. It's also the only animated movie to ever be nominated of the Best Picture Oscar.

3. The Lion King - Yes, it was Hamlet with lions, but darker, more mature themes are always welcome in the world of overly innocent children's fair. Not to say that kids couldn't enjoy the vibrant visuals, the best music of any Disney movie, and comic relief that's still better than most movies, period. And look me in the face and tell me Jeremy Iron's Scar isn't the best, most deliciously evil villain in any Disney movie ever.

4. Sleeping Beauty - Lost in the shuffle of that middle Disney era I spoke about, most people tend to forget about this one. I can't blame them, really. The main character is asleep for a good portion of the film, the "hero" is little more than a plot device, and the movie doesn't have that classic Disney look. But the villain is, like Scar from #3, so very good, the music is tops, and the art style is some of the best in any animated film outside of Studio Ghibli.

5. Pinocchio - Like Snow White... it's another easy choice for any top 10. Great story, characters, art, and the quintessential Disney song, and that has to count, not just "for something," but "for a lot."

6. The Iron Giant - Never given the credit it deserves, this one was knocked for being an old fashion, 2D, cell-animated cartoon that came out during the first few years of the computer animation boom. A shame, too, because not only is it the best hand-drawn film (produced in the US) not made by Disney, but everything about it works so well together. The art style perfectly complements the vibe produced by the story, amplified by some of the most well-rounded characters in any animated movie.

7. Gulliver’s Travels - Had #1 not come out two years prior, this would have been the first ever animated feature. Had it been, there's a very real chance that today parents would be taking their kids to Fleisher Studios World, or Land, instead of Disney. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it wasn't and today we'll always wonder "what if?" But a random bit of trivia isn't enough to make the list alone. It had a great story, based on the classic novel, wonderful music, and the some of the best use/examples of rotoscoping we've ever seen.

8. Toy Story - I'm getting to the point of sounding a bit redundant talking about story, music, artwork, etc. after seven not only great cartoons, but movies in general. So forgive me if I gloss over the specific details of what makes Toy Story so good. It's hard to imagine where we would be today without it, and it's only been 13 years since its release. Like #1, imagine what we'll think of it in 71 years.

9. Cinderella - Until people figured out animation could be used to actually express artistic vision, fairy tales seemed to be the only genre of story worth putting to paint and paper. With that notion, it's no wonder some of the best full-length cartoons are based on fairy tales (see #1, #2, and #4). Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, to me, represent the two most standard fairy tale ideals. And both movies are so good, and so very similar, that swapping them in this list wasn't something I didn't' think about long and hard. At the end of the day, though, Sleeping Beauty is just a bit more grand.

10. Finding Nemo - Until I see WALL-E, #10 will still be the most lavish computer animated film ever. And coming from a studio that has yet to make a flop, that accolade is nothing to sneeze at. Story, characters, etc. - they're all fabulous, but you've seen it (most likely) so you know. Extra credit for a plot that, like #3, is more mature than you probably realize; a parent in a desperate attempt to find their missing child.

So now you see the reasoning. Feel free to disagree with any, or all, of my choices. You're wrong, of course, but that's your right.