02Jabberwocky (1971), dir. by Jan Svankmajer
I love the tangibility of my discomfort every time I watch something by Svankmajer. Of course, some things I’ll never be able to revisit because the discomfort’s too great (Little Otik, moments in Virile Games), but I definitely get a few of his films; this is one. The soundtrack makes me very happy.
Totally old news, but I recently stumbled upon this and thought it was way cool. What do you do when you’re a live-action director and you agree to direct an animation? Play to your strengths. From what I’ve heard so far, the audio in this movie is awesome. I love the idea of recording sound on a soundstage with full cast and blocking - it not only allows the voice actors (who, let’s be honest, are always typecasted top-bill screen actors these days) to move around and really physically commit to their characters, it allows for proximity and spatial relationships between the actors themselves.
Behind-the-scenes clip of Rango (2011), dir. by Gore Verbinski
In its entirety: Princess Iron Fan (1941), dir. by Wan Guchan and Wan Laiming
China’s first feature-length animation. The story is liberally adapted from the popular folk tale “Journey to the West”, which tells of the Monkey King and his friends’… well… journey to the west.
Gulp by Sumo Science - The world’s largest stop-motion animation set, shot on a Nokia (Watch the Making of)
Brilliant!! Will watch the Making Of soon - I wonder if it explains how long it took to plan and shoot?
Awesome rotoscoping!! I’m actually not sure if I’ve already blogged this - it’s definitely old news - but it’s a sweet revisit if I have~
Fan-made trailer for the (as of yet) non-existant Thundercats live action movie, done by WormyT.
A gorgeous mixed-media animation about a tragic robot
KURZSCHLUSS (2009) by Miriam Frank, Georg Utz and Xaver Xylophon
Sound by Daniel Hatvani
Presenting: POX Episode 1: Cyberspies (2003), dir. by Lisa Hammer
This isn’t exactly a film, but an introduction to the work of underground multi-disciplinary, multi-media visionary Lisa Hammer. A prolific staple of NYC avant-garde, Lisa’s work spans from rock operas to silent films to musical acts encapsulating all levels of morbid. Her most well-known collaborators include the wild and witchy Dame Darcy and a man many of you know as the creator of the show The Venture Brothers: Doc Hammer.
Actually, if you’re familiar with The Venture Brothers, then you already know of Lisa; she contributes to the show frequently as the voice of Triana Orpheus.
I absolutely love Lisa’s work, and POX stands out as one of my favorites in her portfolio. Variety shows have always been a point of interest for me, so naturally POX just furthers my desire to produce one of my own. It also displays a high level of collaboration with Doc Hammer, who was not only in three bands with Lisa (in which he contributed vocals and played a wide variety of instruments), but also acted in many of her works and provided animation via AstroBase Go!. Pretty cool to be able to see what artists were doing and what they looked like prior to whatever they’re on today.
Basically, POX is damn clever in its production and absolutely hilarious in execution - POX himself (played by an enigmatic creature called “Alizarinkryz”) is so spot-on, I doubt he’s even acting. He simply is, he simply be, he is divine.
If you’re into all things ~*~*darque*~*~ and ~*~*spooky cute*~*~, you’d definitely love everything this woman creates, especially in conjunction with Dame Darcy, though I feel to categorize Lisa Hammer’s work as such is to belittle it. This ain’t entry-level alt, this ain’t Hot Topic brand. Her usage of period settings and the macabre only heightens the eroticism and taboo nature of her subjects; chaste, but sensual nonetheless, with the slightest touch of mirth. Also, it takes a high reference level and a bit of practice to produce a convincing silent-era silent film, and Lisa’s managed at least a dozen.
P.S. - degenerates denizens of FaceBook can follow The Pox Show [here], and vote for POX for president in 2012 [here]. You can also check out Lisa Hammer’s YouTube channel for more of her work by double-clicking the video above.
