Hello Dolly!

Hey guys...

I am suffering from major burn out right now. I'm crazy tired of school, and work, and waking up in the morning. I'm also not interested in activities like folding my laundry and leaving my apartment. It's not really a good predicament I find myself in considering how much I need to be doing my homework and haven't been......

So naturally my solution to this problem is to catch up on my blog.

I love the movie Wall-e. It is easily my most favorite Pixar movie to date. And I have a tendency to consider people who don't like this movie (and I say this with all the loving kindness I can muster) as idiots who can't understand a compelling and thought provoking plot when they see one. That is a very high brow comment to make, I know, but I'm kind of high brow when it comes to animation so....

Seriously though, this movie is bold. It has an intelligent message that is portrayed well with an uplifting moral to the story found at the end. It is cinematically stunning. Its frugal amount of dialog emphasizes its visual splendor. In fact, I love how little talking actually takes place in this movie. I am understandably moved by the idea of using an image to explain a story and the spartan amount of talking that happens in this movie elevates it almost to the status of a silent film.

And the message in this movie! Wow! Talk about unexpected for a main stream animation studio to pull something that dystopian out and display it as family entertainment!

Of course, I'm a sucker for a good dystopian story. It is my favorite genre. I like it because it's a spectacular way to have an intelligent discourse on social commentary without flagrantly throwing it in people's faces. I will admit that Wall-e's message is a little bit more in your face than I usually care for and that aspect of this movie did take some time for me to get over; I still enjoy what the story of this little robot has to say about the human condition: The flagrant waste of first world nations, the monolithic rise of corporations taking over so many aspects of our daily lives, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear to the people we elect to public offices. Not to mention the laziness of the human populous, the lack of connection and physical interaction with our friends and neighbors, the disinterest in our surroundings due to the constant plug in to our virtual realities. All of this in a medium constantly referred to as "for kids"?! And people wonder why I get annoyed when this sort of label is put on the animation industry.

What sets this movie apart from the usual dystopian story line is its ultimately happy ending and positive message concerning the human condition. (Most dystopias I've read usually end with a "life sucks, there's nothing you can do about it" moral to the story.) This movie really has a very encouraging idea for humanity and the direction it could possibly take in the future. I mean, once the humans realize that they've messed up and that there's a problem that needs fixing they all band together to set things right. They overcome a psycho robot, wide spread obesity, and probably toxic air conditions and mass starvation in order to take care of the planet that they essentially abandoned hundreds of years before. Isn't that such an uplifting commentary on the human condition? That if we see something is wrong we take the action to ensure that it is put to rights.

This is, of course, an over generalization. Some people don't care to do anything to alleviate the suffering of a messed up world but there are countless individuals and organizations that do. And that is an inspiring idea.

Let's not forget the absolutely adorable love story. What's better than robot love?

And, lest I shame myself for not mentioning this, it is crucial that no one overlook the huge homage to Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece: 2001: A Space Odyssey. In fact, I suggest to all people that they watch Wall-e with 2001 as a double feature. It will greatly enhance the experience for you, I guarantee it. Although do be warned that if you aren't familiar with 2001 please do some research before watching it! Or else only confusion and frustration will ensue.

Until next time!

Anyone Can Cook!

Guess what ya'll? I got a new job at Ye Olde Local Public Library. As a result I get free movie rentals with no late fees! It's really boosted my Pixar watching substantially. It's also made my life a daily celebration because I love books!

Anywho....

I am 99% certain that Ratatouille was made with the sole intention of showing off. There are sequences in there that are so technically complicated I feel like the only reason they were created was to brag. Don't get me wrong, Ratatouille is fantastic, but it is very braggy.




Things I like about this movie:

• A muted color palette. I'm always a fan of a limited use of color. And in this movie it works especially well to accentuate the vibrancy of food (or, the joys of our individual passions and aspirations, as symbolized by the food).
• Synesthetic rats. I'm not sure of synesthetic is the correct form of the word synesthesia (my computer is indicating to me that it's not even a word) but I'm talking about Remi's on screen description of what food tastes like. Let's face it, it's not quite possible to accurately depict what food tastes like without stuffing it in your face and digesting it, so the implementation of sounds and colors to describe flavors is pretty creative stuff. Kudos Pixar.
• "Anyone can cook." I love this saying. It's obviously applicable to more than just cooking and I follow this basic philosophy all the time with my pursuits in art. I'm a pretty big advocate of the concept that "anyone can draw." All it takes is the desire to do so. I get crazy peeved when I tell people I'm an illustration student and their response is "That's so cool! I can't even draw stick figures!" Or even worse: "I wish I could draw!" First off, yes, it is crazy cool that I'm an illustration major because I love what I'm studying. Secondly, don't write off stick figures as the lowest form of  drawing there is, because it isn't. I start all of my figure drawings with a stick figure and we go over them a lot in my figure drawing classes. And finally, YOU AREN'T DEAD! You can learn how to draw! It's not some magical ability that has only been endowed upon the select few and all you other losers have to suck it. Drawing is a motor skill, just like writing. If you can learn to write you can learn to draw. The big distinction is WANTING to learn how to draw. Please stop telling me "I wish I could draw" and start making honest statements about how you aren't interested in investing the time it would take to learn a craft. There's no shame in that. Not all things have to appeal to all people. I hate math. I've never been interested in investing the time to become proficient in the field of algebra. You don't hear me whining about it or saying ridiculous things like "I wish I knew advanced calculus!" Gross. The very idea!

This leads into the idea of "a good cook can come from anywhere." Once again I'll be applying this to the art world. I know a lot of people who have the mistaken notion that in order to produce good art you must go to school at a certain university, you must have a cintq (although no lies, if someone gave me one of those I would not snub my nose at it), or the finest papers and pencils. This is a silly pack of lies my friends. It does not take the finest education or the most expensive supplies to create something of worth. It takes patience and determination to see something done right. I create my best work using a Bic mechanical pencil and I only own four paint brushes for acrylic painting. I won't go so far as to say my art work is the best out there but I'd say I do pretty well for myself with what I have. And whatever your interests and passions are the same can apply to you.

Now that we're feeling all warm and sappy here are the things I don't like about this movie:

• The short film "Your Friend the Rat." This is my only real issue with this movie and it's not even a real issue. I only have a complaint about it because currently there is a mouse that has decided to take up residence in my apartment. And hearing "interesting" facts about how high rats can jump and how their teeth are strong enough to gnaw through steel does not help me sleep at night. Granted, I know that I am cohabiting with a mouse and not a rat, they still come from the same rodent family and therefore have similar abilities. Stupid creepy little buggers with their nasty diseases and icky little tails.

So I was going to try to fit the other three Pixar movies I've watched recently into this post but seeing as how those three are Wall-e, Up, and Toy Story 3 I will forego making this post any longer than it already is.

Until next time.