Commentary &Daily post 16 Oct 2009 08:15 am
Ranting/USC/Free Lancing/Updates/Rain!
- Last night I saw Where the Wild Things Are. To be honest, I didn’t really want to go, but went just the same. Not good.
Yes, I know all the reviews I’ve seen are glowing. But I found it boring once they settled in on the island.
David Denby‘s review in the New Yorker got it right. Read it before you go; that’s the film you’ll see.
The cgi manipulated faces of the characters is excellent as are the voices. Sensational acting by James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Cooper, Paul Dano and Forest Whitaker. All of them. And the kid, he’s good, too.
But Spike Jonze! Why do you have to tell us everything that’s going on on screen? Why do you have to overanalyze a book that has so much depth; it gives us reason to think. Do you just want to stop us from thinking? Give me the book. I don’t want this thing to sit in the unconscious memory of children watching. Give them the book. Yccch!
It’s an adult’s idea of adapting a children’s book. Repetitive, Tiresome and Boring.
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- I’d be afraid to see the Jim Carrey Christmas Carol soon to come out. From the look of it, they’re throwing everything and the kitchen sink at the audience through the magic of 3D. Christmas wreaths, icicles, snow, even Jim Carrey. They all fly in our face. $5 extra, please, for the glasses and $3 extra for the aspirins to take care of the headache.
- According to a piece in The Wrap, Wes Anderson didn’t want to stay on set during the tedious two year shoot of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, so he went to Paris while the film’s “Director of Animation”, Mark Gustafson, did the heavy lifting. Footage was sent via email to Paris and back a response would come.
Anderson said, “the movie would not be the way I wanted it if I just did it the way people were accustomed to doing it.†Give that man an Oscar.
- Tomorrow at USC, the Entertainment Law and Business Conference will be held. Described as “…in-depth examinations of the newest opportunities in animation.”
Guest panelists will include:
- Robert A. Iger, president and CEO of The Walt Disney Company who will be the keynote lunchtime speaker.
The heads of four major talent agencies: Jeffrey Berg (ICM), Jim Berkus (UTA), Ari Emanuel (WME) and David O’Connor (CAA). They will participate in discussion on “The Future of Agencies.”
Tom Sito will talk on animation’s future and how it will depend on continued technical development or a refocus on storytelling and character? And what opportunities exist for creators of new media, such as animated webisodes or short-form flash animation on the Web?
Saturday, Oct. 17. The session on “New Opportunities for Animation” will begin at 9 a.m. The doors open for registration at 7:30 a.m.
For more info call USC Law’s Continuing Legal Education office at 213-743-1772 or log on to their site.
- A friend, Steve Parton sent this YouTube video about the fun of freelancing as a designer – though it’s applicable to anyone who works in this business. It’s a laugh, if you haven’t seen it as yet.
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- RIchard O’Connor has been giving daily updates on the Ottawa Animation Festival, as it progresses. There’ve been two posts, to date, and if you have any interest in what’s up at this Festival, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Asterisk Animation
Day #1
Day #2
- The rain that left LA, earlier this week, has made it to New York and will dampen (if not deluge) our weekend in the City. (Thanks, LA.)
I wouldn’t mind, but I’m waiting somewhat impatiently to see the Yankee-Angels games, and I hope they won’t be rained-out. I have too much emotional investment in that series to be blottoed by RAIN!
on 16 Oct 2009 at 11:29 am 1.Jon said …
Go Phillies!
on 16 Oct 2009 at 5:10 pm 2.Dagan said …
here, here Michael!
Go Yanks!
and ps-
Go Phils!!!
We’ll be waiting for you guys at the Big Show!
(hopefully… the Angels still scare me.)
on 16 Oct 2009 at 11:26 pm 3.John Schnall said …
Woo hoo; the team with the stripy things won againat the team with the unfashionable red stuff!
Thank you, Michael! I thought I was the only one who didn’t like the over-explainy method of Mr Jonze (I missed Mr Denby’s article til now); I’m truly glad I’m not the only one who thought the over-explaining of the 1/2 floor in Being John Malcovitch (among other things) was the equivalent of someone over-explaining a “joke” until it became irrelevant. I’ll still be eager to see this one, but I’m glad that I’m not the only one who measures the excitement with a trepidation based on previous works by this director.
on 17 Oct 2009 at 6:35 am 4.Stephen Macquignon said …
The You Tube video very funny I just had to tell someone almost the same thing a few days ago
on 17 Oct 2009 at 9:59 pm 5.Elliot Cowan said …
I liked Wild Things very much but was frustrated by the overly simplistic script.
There were a LOT of kids at our screening and they all sat politely and seemed to enjoy it (although perhaps they were asleep…).