If we’ve been telling lies, you’ve been telling half-lies. A man who tells lies, like me, merely hides the truth. But a man who tells half-lies has forgotten where he put it. Today’s recommendation is long and asture and definitely a downer, but just as definitely “A Film You Should Watch, Even If You Don’t Really Want To Right Now:” David Lean’s searing and unsettling magnum opus, Lawrence of Arabia. It’s not my favorite Lean. (That distinction falls to Brief Encounter. And... Read more
Some Veterans Day reflections on my uncle that I published for the first time last year. Reading back over them, I realize they are as true now as they were then. Uncle David helped to shape and to form who I am today in a way unsurpassed by anyone but my parents. I am forever in his debt. Today is a day for remembering. Remembering and honoring those who have served our country; friends and family members, and those we know only... Read more
I like pretty much every single one of the many Randall Monroe things. Usually, that means the latest panel of his famous xkcd comics; sometimes, it means his newest “What If?” piece; today, it means watching a cartoon he drew for the “Minute Physics” guy about what it takes to make it into space, described in a mere thousand…er…ten hundred simple words. Basically, if you “like confusing stuff explained in simple words” — or if you have an oddish sense of humor but really like... Read more
Today’s short comes from the visual and story-telling geniuses at Aardman Animations, whose virtues I’ve been extolling since some of my earliest days on the InterWebs, and who deserve pretty much every nice thing anyone has ever said about them. (Interestingly, their shorts tend to be a tiny bit meaner than their features. That’s not a criticism, though. Just an observation.) “A plucky, pioneering pre-historic fish, has a ground-breaking plan to improve his life” Ray’s Big Idea is a stunning three minute animated short film,... Read more
If you’re a lover of high-octane, high-body-count, no-holds-barred action films, yet your only experience with the legendary Hong Kong actioner John Woo is an encounter with his American offerings — the weird-and-massively-uneven (yet oddly fascinating and sporadically “must-see,” at least to me) Mission: Impossible II (on NETFLIX INSTANT) or the surprisingly-competent-and-fun (despite relying on Ben Affleck) Paycheck (on NETFLIX INSTANT), the spectacularly-campy Face/Off (which has some great music and slo-mo), the messy-and-silly-yet-still-stylish Broken Arrow, or my personal favorite, “Hostage” from the BMW Hire shorts — I’ve... Read more
Take a drink and remember the man. And raise your spirits to the sky. Raise them to Ned Devine. God bless you Ned, and may we be forever in your debt. My Patheos confrère, Kate O’Hare, posted this great Tullamore Dew ad over the weekend. It’s not new, as she mentions. But it’s always welcome, for a couple of reasons. First, because it’s so wonderfully made. And second, because it always makes me think of Waking Ned Devine (and the fantastic role... Read more
I’ve been fascinated with lighthouses ever since I saw Pete’s Dragon for the first time. So it was fun to stumble across this short a few weeks ago. (It’s just an action sequence, I know. But I really love the monochromatic style, and I liked the way the monster and the ship have the same eyes.) A lighthouse keeper battles a gigantic creature and lands in a shipload of trouble. A Gobelins, l’école de l’image film by David Francois, Rony Hotin,... Read more
Tomorrow’s Halloween, so it’s time for my first-ever horror Streaming Video Suggestion (SVS), right? Except I hate scary movies (which is why doing it today would make it a “First-Ever”), so instead of suggesting one, I’m going to endorse my family’s long-standing tradition of “Watching a Dumb Action Flick after Trick-or-Treating’s Finished” instead. In my (more youthful) day, that meant either Independence Day or The Mummy, but neither are streaming on any of the subscription sites, so instead, I present you with The... Read more
From Vincenzo Lodigiani, an Italian graphic artist and animation director working and living in New York, here’s a great little account of the 12 Principles of Animation from Disney’s Nine Old Men™, ®, or ©, pro’lly (or will be soon, if it’s not): The 12 basic principles of animation were developed by the ‘old men’ of Walt Disney Studios, amongst them Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, during the 1930s. Of course they weren’t old men at the time, but young men who were... Read more
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No Commentary Necessary — Sir David Attenborough Narrates Adele’s “Hello”
As a huge fan of Sir David’s VO and documentary work, this is pretty much exactly what I would have expected. In other words, it’s pretty much perfect. Adele’s Hello video gets the Sir David Attenborough voice over treatment on Greg James. Read more