Needless to say my favourite film genre is the documentary.
This weekend I watched two documentaries by Gary Hustwit.
Helvetica (2007)
Objectified (2009)
They are both very informative and discuss the simplicity of
design in both communications and products. I predict that
after watching these, you'll have a new appreciation for both.
so I just watched this trailer for ♥ Valentine's Day ♥ ...starring Julia Roberts' laugh. No surprise since the director is Garry
Marshall, the same one from Pretty Woman. I didn't realize 'Julia Roberts'
is still a name that sells, did I miss something? This movie is clearly
a cliché knock off of Love Actually, the feel-good
British Christmas comedy. Say that five times fast.
I've never been one to goo goo gaa gaa in a baby's face
but this documentary looks like it'll be about learning
foreign cultures and family traditions, not just cute
squishy babies. Judging by the trailer, BABIES, looks
like it will be visually interesting, creating attractive and
intriguing imagery of both urban and rural landscapes.
song from trailer:
The Perpetual Self, Or What Would Saul Alinky Do - Sufjan Steves (The Avalanche 2006)
Despite the fact that I basically stopped celebrating
Christmas five years ago, there's a list of holiday
movies and songs that I still enjoy. I'm a scrooge,
but i guess not a heartless scrooge...
CHRISTMAS MOVIES
TOP 5:
- Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)
- White Christmas (1954)
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
- Scrooged (1988)
- Love Actually (2003)
CHRISTMAS SONGS
TOP 5:- That Spirit of Christmas (1985) - Ray Charles
- Snow (1954) - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera-Ellen, Rosemary Clooney
- Christmas Time is Here (1965) - Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Wonderful Christmastime (1979) - Paul McCartney
- Last Christmas (1984) - Wham!
HAPPY NON-DENOMINATIONAL HOLIDAYS!
Fantastic Mr. Fox movie poster.
Cross-section technique used by Wes Anderson.
I went to see Fantastic Mr. Fox last week (and also may have sneaked into Pirate Radio after...
don't bother with this one) and thought it was, er, fantastic. Wes Anderson has successfully
created his own visual style that can be seen in both his animated and non films. Visually his
movies are appealing, with their combination of new and old so the audience never really knows
what time period they're watching. His characters seem to be caught in the highlight moments
of their lives, see Richie Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums. What stands out about
Anderson, to me, is his attention to detail in set design, dialogue and the idiosyncrasies given
to each character. He achieves these through awkward pauses, mannerisms and honest,
innocent, dead-pan expression. Yet, the humour still comes through.
A notable feature of Anderson's films is his cinematography style. Particularly the use of
straight on shots, which helps to give the impression of stage productions. I often think of how
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou was shot, using cross section views of the movement and
interiors of the Belafonte, Zissou's research vessel. Before this movie, I don't remember seeing
this technique used and it's visually stunning. After doing some research I found that this was
done as an homage to the 1972 film Tout va bien, where the same technique was used, the film
being set in a sausage factory. And this movie was a nod to the 1961 Jerry Lewis movie The
Ladies Man, reputedly the largest indoor set built by Paramount, the house having sixty rooms.
By panning through the spaces you get a sense of the architecture of set design and see the
structure of continuity in both dialogue and experience.
Fantastic Mr. Fox, of course, is an ideal situation to use such technique since the story takes
place above and below ground. In this movie the use of straight on shots act like elevations
drawings, which also become well composed film stills from a photographic perspective. In this
movie the camera work puts the animals in an ant farm-like perspective, where we're watching
from the other side of the glass.
 Beetlejuice, 1988
So I spent most of last weekend feeling like sick garbage. Thank god Beetlejuice was on TV....three times on three different days. And ya, I'll admit it, I watched them all, even though I own the DVD. Over the years I have probably watched the movie about a hundred times. And won't stop. It's just one of those movies that is perfect background noise for working on computer-y type things.
There's one scene in particular that I find myself watching for, then later thinking about for days. It's after the Deetz' move into Barbara and Adam's New England house on the hill (Tim Burton likes houses on hills, see Edward Scissorhands, Big Fish, Coraline (yes I know it's Henry Selick, but they have history), et al. Note his German Expressionism influence of extreme angles, high-contrast shadows and distorted perspectives) and have renovated it to fit Delia's post modern, big city taste.
The scene I am always taken by is the one where Charles, Delia and Otho are outside on the all white deck extension, finished with one lone white wall shaped like a classic house doodle, triangle roof line on top of a square. This wall is also cleverly clad with horizontal slat siding, the standard material of choice for many suburban homes. In a way this singular wall symbolizes the idea of idealized home and family (another Burton theme), something the Deetz' are definitely not, and is juxtaposed against a post modern take over of an old Victorian home. The window cutout nicely frames the scenery beyond, simulating a picturesque landscape painting. There's something very striking about the white architecture against the natural landscape and despite the colour, there is still a sinister feeling to the scene and the turmoil within that can't be whitewashed.
Still photos from Beetlejuice:
Here's a little excerpt of the movie, the famous Harry Belafonte 'Banana Boat' lip syncing scene (part 6).
Followed by my favourite scene at about 7 minutes in (part 7).
Enjoy!
*** Note: while I was writing this blog post Beetlejuice
was on TV again. Thank goodness for the Halloween movie line ups,
my Beetlejuice addiction is always satisfied.
I just watched the trailer for this movie and am really excited to see the
whole film. I love Julius Shulman's photography, his photos are among
some of the most recognizable because of subject but also because of
his clarity and precision.
Julius Shulman (October 10, 1910 - July 15, 2009)
American Architectural Photographer
WATCH THE TRAILER AND SEE MORE PHOTOS AT:
http://www.juliusshulmanfilm.com/
one of my favourites...
Duffield's Continental Showroom
Long Beach, 1963 | Killingworth Brady + Associates, Architects |
The lines of the building create a frame within the frame on the right, and the
shadow cutting the rectangle on the bias at the left, brings the focus to the
figure standing in the shadows, which gives a sense of scale to the architecture.
Shulman stands in the perfect position to connect the vertical and horizontal,
creating a continuous line that draws the eye through the photo from corner to
corner. So simple, yet, so incredibly effective.
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