The real reason to watch the Super Bowl. Now that the hoopla is over and America's fascination with pigskin will geaux away for a while, I wanted to showcase some of the hyped movies coming out this summer. As always, the Super Bowl gets their hands on these expensive ($80,000/second) trailers and further entertains the masses.
Alice in Wonderland
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Prince of Persia
I didn't bother showcasing Gladiator, I mean Braveheart, I mean... Robin Hood. Take that as you will.
Showing posts with label Film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Film. Show all posts
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Oscars Cometh
Oscar Style... more to it than crab meat, asparagus, & béarnaise. Announced in the wee hours of this morning, acting/directing/marketing hopefuls woke up to find themselves judged (don't we all). As is the annual tradition of evaluating the cinematic goods offered up to the masses, the Academy Awards look to be very interesting this year.
I won't bore you with reiterating the nominations (click here to see them all). I will, of course, give you my opinion. Brace yourselves...
Avatar and The Hurt Locker are neck in neck with a total of 9 nominations each. This should be interesting for the once married James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow come March 7th despite the fact they've mentioned they're each other's "cheerleaders." Gag me like a bulimic.
The brutal Precious and history-reinvensioning Inglourious Basterds follow closely with 8 nominations each, followed by the WASPy Up In The Air and treacly Up with 6 and 5 nominations each, respectively. Up managed to snag nods in both the Best Picture and Best Animated Feature categories (the first for any film). Additionally, Up is the second animated feature to receive a nomination in the Best Picture category, the former being Disney's own Beauty & the Beast (no doubt aided by the 10 film spread this year in lieu of the traditional 5).
While I did love Up, I feel it is getting a little too much attention whereas other great animated films (my condolences, Ponyo) were completely snubbed. Gotta love those xenophobic Academy voters with a hard on for ventures of the geriatric kind.
Avatar's wave of superstardom should crest soon as ticket sales trickle off since, by now, everyone on the planet has seen the film (at least once anyways). Again, love me some Avatar, but let's not get too enthralled with special effects - despite their groundbreaking and genre-changing implications - that we lose the art of storytelling.
While the populist in me wants Avatar to take home the little gold man come early March, the elitist in me wants either The Hurt Locker or Inglourious Basterds to out-pace the black hole of adulation that is Pandora.
I won't bore you with reiterating the nominations (click here to see them all). I will, of course, give you my opinion. Brace yourselves...
Avatar and The Hurt Locker are neck in neck with a total of 9 nominations each. This should be interesting for the once married James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow come March 7th despite the fact they've mentioned they're each other's "cheerleaders." Gag me like a bulimic.
The brutal Precious and history-reinvensioning Inglourious Basterds follow closely with 8 nominations each, followed by the WASPy Up In The Air and treacly Up with 6 and 5 nominations each, respectively. Up managed to snag nods in both the Best Picture and Best Animated Feature categories (the first for any film). Additionally, Up is the second animated feature to receive a nomination in the Best Picture category, the former being Disney's own Beauty & the Beast (no doubt aided by the 10 film spread this year in lieu of the traditional 5).
While I did love Up, I feel it is getting a little too much attention whereas other great animated films (my condolences, Ponyo) were completely snubbed. Gotta love those xenophobic Academy voters with a hard on for ventures of the geriatric kind.
Avatar's wave of superstardom should crest soon as ticket sales trickle off since, by now, everyone on the planet has seen the film (at least once anyways). Again, love me some Avatar, but let's not get too enthralled with special effects - despite their groundbreaking and genre-changing implications - that we lose the art of storytelling.
While the populist in me wants Avatar to take home the little gold man come early March, the elitist in me wants either The Hurt Locker or Inglourious Basterds to out-pace the black hole of adulation that is Pandora.
Friday, January 29, 2010
The Aesthetic of Japanimation
One minute a Pokemon, next minute an Oscar! Japanese animation has been around for decades, but its presence in American culture is reduced to various children's shows or late-night adult presentations. Now, there are definitely many markets for this medium, however, I feel only in the last 10 years or so has Japanimation become more and more integrated.
Not only has the medium won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, Japanimation is consistently leading the eye of many animators, especially those mousy artists at Disney. The contributions of Studio Ghibli via its founder Hayao Miyazaki have been pivotal to catapulting Japanimation into mainstream success, especially for younger audiences.
The Japanese obsession with the "cute," reflective of googly eyes and anthropomorphic creatures, is no longer the defining aspect of the medium. Lush, inventive landscapes, enthralling story lines, and sociopolitical themes are now present in much that Japanimation has to offer.
If you're new to the art form, I suggest the following:
1. Spirited Away, 2002 Best Animated Feature (winner)
2. Howl's Moving Castle, 2005 Best Animated Feature (nominated)
3. Princess Mononoke, Studio Ghibli release
4. Kill Bill Vol. 1, Oren Ishii flashback scenes are dynamite
5. Paprika, Blu Ray version is pure eye candy
6. Fullmetal Alchemist, TV show on Adult Swim
7. Ghost In The Shell, Cyberpunk sub-genre forerunner
Make sure to catch Ponyo, a Studio Ghibli release and frontrunner for this year's Oscar Animated Feature race, on DVD and Blu Ray March 2, 2010.
Not only has the medium won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, Japanimation is consistently leading the eye of many animators, especially those mousy artists at Disney. The contributions of Studio Ghibli via its founder Hayao Miyazaki have been pivotal to catapulting Japanimation into mainstream success, especially for younger audiences.
The Japanese obsession with the "cute," reflective of googly eyes and anthropomorphic creatures, is no longer the defining aspect of the medium. Lush, inventive landscapes, enthralling story lines, and sociopolitical themes are now present in much that Japanimation has to offer.
If you're new to the art form, I suggest the following:
1. Spirited Away, 2002 Best Animated Feature (winner)
2. Howl's Moving Castle, 2005 Best Animated Feature (nominated)
3. Princess Mononoke, Studio Ghibli release
4. Kill Bill Vol. 1, Oren Ishii flashback scenes are dynamite
5. Paprika, Blu Ray version is pure eye candy
6. Fullmetal Alchemist, TV show on Adult Swim
7. Ghost In The Shell, Cyberpunk sub-genre forerunner
Make sure to catch Ponyo, a Studio Ghibli release and frontrunner for this year's Oscar Animated Feature race, on DVD and Blu Ray March 2, 2010.
The Oscars & Fast-Food Cinema
The Oscars... or as I like to call it, the movies you DIDN'T see?! With Oscar announcements just around the corner - Tuesday, February 2nd @ 5:38 am PST - many are clamoring to suggest their picks for what looks to be an interesting year for film.
Because... the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Academy) made headlines earlier in 2009 when it announced it would be expanding the Best Picture category from the traditional 5 nominated films to an unprecedented 10.
The reason? One word: RATINGS!
Commercial movies don't get nominated, yet there are a few notable exceptions (e.g., Titanic, Gladiator, LOTR:TROTK, soon to be Avatar). Let's face it, most of America's visual palate consists of what I like to call fast-food cinema. It's quick-paced, easily digestible, and leaves you wanting more (i.e., sequels). Movies like the Harry Potter franchise, Ice Age series, Twilight Saga, or anything Michael Bay gets his hands on, these are all films that, while they can have good plot points and direction, are easily accessible and do not require much cognitive effort or acumen.
While fast-food is more convenient than a 5-course meal, unfortunately, it's not as satisfying.
The Academy, however, is compromising. By opening up the Best Picture pool, a Big Mac may just be able to sit next to a chateaubriand. More Big Macs equal more viewers.
This move also breaks up the monotony the Academy voters insist on, year after year. I feel like nominations follow a formula reminiscent of MTV's The Real World expect instead of "the slut," "the gay guy," "the minority," the Oscars offer us "the epic," "the Jewish movie," "the musical," "the cerebral drama," and "the independent film." Maybe fitting a Big Mac into our diet may not be such a bad thing?
Thanks Academy...
Love, your devoted omnivore.
The Oscars premiere Sunday, March 7th, 2010.
Because... the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Academy) made headlines earlier in 2009 when it announced it would be expanding the Best Picture category from the traditional 5 nominated films to an unprecedented 10.
The reason? One word: RATINGS!
Commercial movies don't get nominated, yet there are a few notable exceptions (e.g., Titanic, Gladiator, LOTR:TROTK, soon to be Avatar). Let's face it, most of America's visual palate consists of what I like to call fast-food cinema. It's quick-paced, easily digestible, and leaves you wanting more (i.e., sequels). Movies like the Harry Potter franchise, Ice Age series, Twilight Saga, or anything Michael Bay gets his hands on, these are all films that, while they can have good plot points and direction, are easily accessible and do not require much cognitive effort or acumen.
While fast-food is more convenient than a 5-course meal, unfortunately, it's not as satisfying.
The Academy, however, is compromising. By opening up the Best Picture pool, a Big Mac may just be able to sit next to a chateaubriand. More Big Macs equal more viewers.
This move also breaks up the monotony the Academy voters insist on, year after year. I feel like nominations follow a formula reminiscent of MTV's The Real World expect instead of "the slut," "the gay guy," "the minority," the Oscars offer us "the epic," "the Jewish movie," "the musical," "the cerebral drama," and "the independent film." Maybe fitting a Big Mac into our diet may not be such a bad thing?
Thanks Academy...
Love, your devoted omnivore.
The Oscars premiere Sunday, March 7th, 2010.
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