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Lou Scarborough, You’ll be Missed
Today’s the day for Lou’s funeral. A nice crisp day, no rain. I’m sad enough about his passing, but on top of that I know in my bones that I wouldn’t make it there and back on NYC Transit. I can’t attend without being conspicuous. I’m sad.
St. Louis; all-too-short
We flew into St. Louis on a Friday afternoon prepared to attend a screening of some favorite films chosen from those done in my studio.
The Festival was to present me with an award for being he greatest living animator since Walt Disney (I think that’s what it said), which I planned to accept with all humility.
The one quirk noted, before going to the screening, was that I knew I wasn’t feeling all-too-well. I assumed it’d pass.
Cliff Froehlich, the festival’s director presented the award which highlighted my all-enveloping passion for Edgar Allan Poe, or at least the animated biography I’ve been trying to put together. For the award, an artist had drawn Poe as the likeness of Vincent Price. The connection, in reality, is remote, but it was a funny idea.
For the four hour workshop on Saturday, we broke down all the elements of animated film: storyboard, animation, planning and construction. The kids worked off a Jules Feiffer character we’d animated and took it in whatever direction they wanted. However, we sought a completed walk cycle in the end. I’m taking their drawings and transposing it an animated dvd so they have a souvenier of the day in the end.
A full day on Saturday and a fun evening on Saturday night wasn’t the surprise. Other plans, other events and a rush back to a hospital in NY were a surprise. All a very dramatic way to end that Festival program but, ultimately, the ending was a happy one, and here I am writing about the visit.
Thanks St. Louis. You were a good host, and I was made to feel special. I’m just sorry I had to short change the weekend with a nasty health issue. In the end, all really didn’t go that poorly. I’m sorry it caused a lot of people some consternation. It would have been nicer had it been more as planned. I hope I didn’t disappoint too many.
Thanks to all those behind or even in front of the curtain, including Cliff Froehlich, and Sherri Williams, Chris Clark and Kat Touscher and Brian Spath.
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Bugs’ Sahara Tale
Thad Komorowski‘s What About Thad? blog s by far one of the best to visit. He just currently put up a large part of Freleng and Warren Foster‘s storyboard for the Freleng cartoon, As Thad says at one point, “comparing these boards to the final product is very revealing of how well-crafted and executed even the lesser Warner shorts could be.” A Sahara Tale works as a gem of a board yet is dull as a film.
Despite the beautiful artwork on display, (taken from DVD extras) you’ll find no love of words for that very same art as Thad pointedly criticizes the cartoon and, therefore, the storyboard. This takes something of a strong constitution, especially when you can view such material up close.
I, of course, see no fault in what Thad’s written, so have to agree with him. However it still doesn’t make it easy to view without slobbering over the art.
These images remind me of the great collection of Alex Lovy drawings Thad posted from Woody’s Ace in the Hole. There was a posting I won’t soon get past. I loved it, loved it, loved it.
These Foster images are beauties, too, it’s just that the short is so damned mediocre. At the very least these imges remind us ow great the art of cartooning how reached at WB< Disney's et. al. during that period. Breathtaking, really.
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A-Rod and not Me
An animated film called Henry and Me is in the final stages for the NYYankees. It stars the voices of many of the star-studded team, but changes may be underfoot. Given the negative press Alexander Rodgriguez has brought to his off-the-field drug use, it looks like the producers are going to can his voice over.
The embattled Yankee third baseman, who voices the animated version of himself in the children’s film “Henry & Me,†will likely find his character on the cutting-room floor because of his involvement in one of baseball’s biggest drug scandals.
The film’s investors will “make a move to get another character†to replace Rodriguez’s, according to executive producer Ray Negron, a long-time adviser to the Yankees, although “they still haven’t pulled the plug yet.â€
During a screening of “Henry & Me†in midtown Wednesday, Rodriguez’s character was still part of the film and its narrative — which chronicles the moving journey of a young boy named Jack, who is battling cancer and who ends up meeting many of the Yankees’ legendary players, as well as the late owner, George Steinbrenner.
Rodriguez comes up to bat during a crucial sequence — sound familiar? — and needs a clutch hit to send the Bombers into the playoffs. The film is based upon Negron’s children’s books. “Win or lose, kid, these are the opportunities we live for,†A-Rod says to Jack before his at-bat.
Rodriguez’s character later visits Jack in the hospital while he is recovering from cancer treatment. The final version of the film will edit out the animated Alex Rodriguez. But despite the animated A-Rod’s positive message and actions during the film, in reality Rodriguez is enmeshed in a performance-enhancing drug scandal, one that has resulted in a 211-game suspension by Major League Baseball. Rodriguez has appealed, and is playing for the
Yankees as the process unfolds.
The “Henry & Me†investors are concerned with Rodriguez’s off-field woes impacting the marketability and image of the film for his character to remain.
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Two movies: like all the rest
This week, like most weeks, I saw a number of movies. Most of them in the video format, one film on the big screen.
The film I saw on the big screen, Thursday evening, was Elysium. The film stars Matt Damon, who I have to tell you, has become one of my favorite screen actors. He’s usually convincing in all those run movie/movie parts he takes. He’s a thinking actor and looks brilliant in films like the Bourne series – which he well keeps alive even turning them down. His best films are the thinking films, the small ones that have something to say like his last, Promised Land, a film that narrows in on the problems of gas production, fracking and all. One really leaves the theater discussing the problem Damon wants to present.
But then there’s Elysium. This is a film about the future where there are the haves and the have nots, those who fight for their daily existence while the others fight to keep the average Joes from their sightlines. No real discussion of real problems. The director, Neill Blomkamp, is a South African who gave us the unpleasant futuristic=Alien movie. called District Nine. I hated the first, but only disliked the second film I’d seen by him. (Damon had to have added something.)
But the problem, to me, is something happening to a lot of big budget films. You don’t care about any of the characters on the screen, who don’t seem to really care about each other. I mean, why would we be interested in characters that don’t interrelatel they move at super sonic speeds trying to kill each other. It’s just so exhausting, and makes it difficult to sit there through two hours of noise. You gotta care.
The film I saw on tv – a copy too contrasty on AMC, too many repetitive commercials and about the 12th time I’ve seen the movie – was The Godfather Part 1.
You know, there’s nothing else to say. I just can’t understand why they’ve stopped making films like this – about people (admittedly artificial characters), people you can relate to. They may be thugs and killers and black sheep and awfully artificial with cotton in their mouths, but believe it or not, you can believe them – the characters. It’s story telling of the most basic type, uet it’s ignored for billion dollar chases in robo suits with synthetic music bombarding the annoying soundtrack. I know, it must be that I’m getting old.
I do have to start thinking about what films I’m going to view.
The one to see this year is Blue Jasmine. Now that’s great storytelling. I’ve seen it and plan to see it again next week. Great performances, great characters, great everything else. We go into the heart of Tennessee Williams and deconstruct his great play before realizing we’ve also reconstructed it for the cynical days of now. A great movie that gets to your heart.
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