tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84098102010-03-27T14:52:17.134-04:00Frames Per Second MagazineFrames Per Second magazine covers the full spectrum of the animation world: commercial, independent, anime, stop-motion, CG, and beyond. Thought-provoking commentary, insightful reviews, upcoming releases, and more.Emru Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12913728859380797801noreply@blogger.comBlogger941125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-80010688921960958442010-02-22T23:59:00.002-05:002010-02-23T00:05:49.133-05:00Get To Know fpsAt 11:59, I don't plan to add further animation-related content to <span style="font-style: italic;">fps</span>.<br /><br />In its earlier form, it was a print animation magazine founded and edited by Emru Townsend. Its first issue was in 1991, spawned from a science fiction/animation fanzine called <span style="font-style: italic;">Quark</span>. Seven years ago today, Emru wrote his <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/comment/grouch.php">first online review for fps</a>, which he reincarnated as a website, blog. Five years ago, he released the <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/mag/2005/03/fps200503lo.pdf">first issue of the PDF magazine</a>.<br /><br />I plan to do some work on the site in the near future, including making all of the <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/mag/index.php">PDF magazines</a> free downloads.<br /><br />After I tie up loose ends, the site will remain active. If you haven't been with us since the beginning, please take some time to look through the blog, and explore the site's archive of interviews, commentaries, podcasts and reviews.<br /><br />There are countless people to thank and I have no minutes left. I hope you know who you are.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-8001068892196095844?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Tamuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104036201327633645tamu@fpsmagazine.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-77776394759854039982010-02-22T22:06:00.006-05:002010-02-23T08:37:47.722-05:00Worth the Wait: Walt's People Volume 8<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/waltspeople8-777445.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/waltspeople8-777443.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I used to read constantly. In the last two years, I have found it very difficult to read anything. I used to have a policy about finishing everything I start. Recently, I find it difficult to finish any book easily, if I manage to read it all the way through.<br /><br />Last year, in late summer, I received the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Walts-People-8-Didier-Ghez/dp/1441551832">eighth volume of <span style="font-style: italic;">Walt's People: Talking Disney with the Artists who Knew Him</span></a> by Didier Ghez, also the man behind the <a href="http://disneybooks.blogspot.com/">Disney History</a> blog. After reading the contents and dedication to Emru Townsend, founder of Frames Per Second, I thought to myself, "Surely I will read this soon," as I put it on the top of my pile.<br /><br />And there it stayed for several months, as life sped on.<br /><br />I'd read previous volumes and knew I was in for a treat. Two weeks ago I reminded myself of that, and during one of my busiest times ever, I took the time to read this latest volume. <span style="font-style: italic;">Walt's People</span> is an anthology of about three dozen interviews with different people who knew Walt Disney, interviewed by different people, including animation historians and other animators, over quite a span of time.<br /><br />I am probably the last reviewer to mention this book, but I had to chime in:<br /><br />I couldn't put it down. What's great about this series is that these interviews are not chopped up versions of interviews, with the author's tracts including a lot of supposition instead of actual direct quotes from the subjects. On paper, this is the closest we get to being in the room.<br /><br />Most of the interviews brought knew information to light or recontextualized information as I previously understood it. Some just made me laugh. The interview that stood out for me was Carl Barks. You definitely get a sense of the man through his words. Also notable were the recollections of Retta Davidson. Some interviews are interesting because they give you all the goods; others are equally successful because you feel like you need to know more. Hopefully, this book will answer many questions for readers but also lead them to ask more, and perhaps spur on future historians.<br /><br />Luckily, volume 9 is in the works. So start reading volume 8 now in preparation.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-7777639475985403998?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Tamuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104036201327633645tamu@fpsmagazine.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-56041909790091463302010-02-21T21:53:00.003-05:002010-02-21T22:10:33.380-05:00Sylvain Chomet’s The Illusionist<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M3xCjPmaTfY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M3xCjPmaTfY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Sylvain Chomet’s <span style="font-style:italic;">The Illusionist</span>, the follow-up to his brilliant 2003 <span style="font-style:italic;">Les triplettes de Belleville</span> had its premiere screening this week at the Berlin Film Festival. I can't wait to see it! It's an adaptation of an unproduced screenplay by Jacques Tati, intended to be a live action film. This footage looks fantastic and if the screenplay is anything close to <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/05/criterion-brings-kurosawas-kagemusha-and-tatis-playtime-to-blu-ray/">Tati's wonderful <span style="font-style:italic;">Playtime</span></a> (which I've only just picked up on <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/05/criterion-brings-kurosawas-kagemusha-and-tatis-playtime-to-blu-ray/">Blu-ray</a>) this could be one of the finest animated films of the year!<br /><br />Via: <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/02/21/first-footage-from-sylvain-chomets-the-illusionist/">/Film</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-5604190979009146330?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Brenden Fletcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623462666409644810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-22138870775112365022010-02-21T15:37:00.005-05:002010-02-22T21:08:04.134-05:00Review: Mechademia Vol. 4 "War/Time"<i>Here we are at my final review for FPS. Although I have been an erstwhile contributor at best, I want everyone to know how much my involvement has meant to me. When I first came to Canada, I could not work or study. I could, however, blog. Emru Townsend gave me the opportunity to do just that, and running around my new home for FPS became a fun, fast way for me to learn about Toronto and about one of my favourite art forms.</i><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mechademia.org"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 286px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/mechademia4-771517.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Volume 4 of University of Minnesota's annual publication <a href="http://www.mechademia.org/"><i>Mechademia</i></a> edited by Frenchy Lunning and with contributions from Christopher Bolton, Takayuki Tatsumi, Marco Pellitteri and Thomas Lamarre focuses on concepts of war, history and memory in anime. All the usual suspects are here: <i>Evangelion, Grave of the Fireflies, Patlabor 2, Barefoot Gen</i>. While it may surprise some scholars to learn that these titles can still be mined for meaning, the exegesis contained in these pages proves that there is still some blood to be wrung from the mecha, as it were.<br /><br />Japan's military history is a difficult one. The tensions at play (colonialism, identity and modernity, to name a few) are still painful, and in many ways they still dictate what Japan is as a country today. The critical essays gathered in this volume focus on those tensions and how they continue to shape Japan's national and artistic discourse, from one of Studio Ghibli's most beloved films to the anonymous 2-chan crowds who followed Densha into the battle for his future happiness.<br /><br />One of the things I enjoy about Mechademia as a publication is the way it examines both obscure and pop culture material from a variety of theoretical standpoints. Some of the essays here are so firmly rooted in critical theory that they can seem almost inscrutable. Christophe Thouny's piece, "Waiting for the Messiah: The Becoming Myth of <i>Evangelion</i> and <i>Densha otoko</i>" falls into this category. It performs the function of all good analyses: instantly alienating a once-familiar text by shining a new light on it, thereby forcing the reader/viewer/participant to re-approach that text.<br /><br />Other essays are more accessible: Wendy Goldberg's "Transcending the Victim's History: Takahata Isao's <i>Grave of the Fireflies</i>" is a clearly-written piece that nevertheless exposes new areas of investigation inside the film's historical subtext. Similarly, Gavin Walker's "The Filmic Time of Coloniality: On Shinkai Makoto's <i>The Place Promised in Our Early Days</i>" clarifies the multiple narratives and meta-narratives that intersect in Shinkai's stately, almost exposition-free film.<br /><br />Essays like these, even when they're a tough read or on a topic I know very little about, are one of the reasons I told my students last year to begin reading <i>Mechademia</i>. It's also one of the few peer-reviewed publications that isn't hidden away in the absurd and bizarre labyrinth of university library permissions: you can just <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/64-9780816667499-0">order it online</a> like any other book, and then keep it forever. (Though as an academic, I'd really love a digital copy: typing selections out by hand every time I want to use a quotation in an essay is bothersome, compared to cutting and pasting from a PDF. Notice how I haven't really quoted anything, here?) I've had the good fortune of meeting Frenchy Lunning on two separate occasions, and I've corresponded with her and her editorial staff multiple times. I know about the hard work that goes into every issue, and I also enjoy the focus on a single theme for each -- it keeps the volume on point, while gathering all the latest research into one volume for interested scholars. We've needed a publication like <span style="font-style: italic;">Mechademia</span> for a long time, and I'm glad we have it.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-2213887077511236502?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Madeline Ashbynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-51659307756655746542009-10-12T10:44:00.002-04:002009-10-12T10:53:18.891-04:00Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Blu-ray Disc Review<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027FG29Y?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0027FG29Y" title="Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Blu-ray Disc"><img src="http://www.theblurayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/61ora2rlol_sl500_aa240_.jpg" alt="Superaman/Batman: Public Enemies Blu-ray Disc" title="Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Blu-ray Disc" width="240" height="240" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-5006" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027FG29Y?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0027FG29Y" title="Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Blu-ray Disc"><em>SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES</em> (2009, Blu-ray released September 29, 2009 - MSRP $29.99)</a><br /><br />You know I've got a soft spot for these DC Comics animated adaptations. I've given fairly positive reviews to the two previous efforts in the series - <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/03/wonder-woman-blu-ray-disc-review-2/"><em>Wonder Woman</em></a> and <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/07/green-lantern-first-flight-blu-ray-disc-review/"><em>Green Lantern: First Flight</em></a>. So you're probably expecting more of the same from my review of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027FG29Y?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0027FG29Y"><em>Superman/Batman: Public Enemies</em></a> on Blu-ray disc. And you'd be right! In fact, I think it might be the best of the bunch!<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />From what I can tell, that's probably not the popular opinion. I got my copy of the Blu-ray disc quite late and so had the opportunity to browse other reviews kicking around internets. While the disc itself would be constantly highly rated, reviewers seemed unanimous in slamming the simplistic story. I felt like the simplicity really worked in this case! <br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027FG29Y?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0027FG29Y"><em>Superman/Batman: Public Enemies</em></a> is essentially a one-hour fight scene. There isn't much character or story. But plenty of excitement. And, at the end of the day, isn't excitement what draws us to a superhero adventure? Here's the setup, in a nutshell - Lex Luthor has swindled his way into becoming the president of the US and declares Superman and Batman public enemies. Villains and heroes alike hunt them down and try to beat the crap out of them. Awesome! That's pretty much all there is to it. But you know what? With such a a short runtime, that's okay. What drags the production down for me is the character designs. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027FG29Y?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0027FG29Y"><em>Superman/Batman: Public Enemies</em></a> is an adaptation of a DC Comics miniseries (I didn't read it so I can't comment on how faithful the script is to the original Jeph Loeb story.) As such, the filmmakers attempted to mimic the character designs of the comics' artist, Ed McGuinness. To the productions detriment, if you ask me. The designs, while looking a whole hell-of-a-lot like McGuinness' are too chunky and muscled and despite some champion work by Lotto Animation, the characters don't animate very well. Give me the old, simplified Bruce Timm models any day!<br /><br />The Blu-ray looks fantastic! Really well done. Probably the best looking disc of all the DC Comics adaptations that Warner has released thus far. And, despite the lack of an uncompressed soundtrack, it sounds strong and pretty dynamic! Where the Blu-ray fails for me is in the bonus feature department. Aside from the requisite collection of trailers and six Bruce Timm best-of-<em>Justice-League</em> episode picks (all looking better than ever compressed with the VC-1 codec, I might add), the only extra materials on the disc are a short featurette exploring the relationship between Superman and Batman, and a sit-down dinner with the actor who performs the voice of Batman. Don't get me wrong, what we're given is pretty cool. I can take or leave the featurette but the dinner chat, running almost an hour long, is really great. Just like the<a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/07/green-lantern-first-flight-blu-ray-disc-review/"><em> Green Lantern: First Flight</em> </a>disc, however, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027FG29Y?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0027FG29Y"><em>Superman/Batman: Public Enemies</em></a> is sorely lacking in any detail on the production itself! One again, we're robbed of a commentary track, or making-of featurette. Come on, guys! As cool as it is to hear Kevin Conroy chat about his almost twenty years voicing Batman, I'd rather know something specific about the film I just watched. How about an interview with Sam Liu? If this <a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tv/091005-animated-shorts-sam-liu.html">Newsarama interview with the director</a> is any indication, he has a lot to say about the production. What about Stan Berkowitz? Having adapted the comics to screen, he most likely has a few insights to share. Urgh...It's so frustrating to feel like nobody at the studio cares about this end of things anymore. Here's hoping they rethink their position of avoiding production docs and commentaries for next years<a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/09/video-justice-league-crisis-on-two-earths-blu-ray-preview/"><em> Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths</em> Blu-ray Disc </a>release.<br /><br />Also on The Bllu-ray Blog: <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/10/supermanbatman-public-enemies-blu-ray-disc-review/">Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Blu-ray Disc review</a><br /><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-5165930775665574654?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Brenden Fletcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623462666409644810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-63472296476349286732009-10-06T11:03:00.003-04:002009-10-06T11:31:40.552-04:00Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Blu-ray Disc Review<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001V9LPWQ?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001V9LPWQ" title="Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Blu-ray Disc Review"><img src="http://www.theblurayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/61keunrrkcl_sl500_aa240_.jpg" alt="Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Blu-ray Disc Review" title="Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Blu-ray Disc Review" width="240" height="240" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-4927" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001V9LPWQ?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001V9LPWQ" title="Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Blu-ray Disc Review"><strong><em>SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS</em> (1937, Blu-ray released October 6, 2009 - MSRP $39.99)</strong></a><br /><br />Stunning. Absolutely stunning. I wish I could turn back time to watch the gorgeous visual presentation of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001V9LPWQ?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001V9LPWQ"><strong>Disney</strong>'s <em>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</em> Blu-ray disc</a> for the first time, all over again. Experiencing this, the first Diamond Edition release from Walt Disney Home Entertainment's new line of classic films on Blu-ray, was akin to feeding my hungry eyes a platter of pure 2D animated magic. <br /><span class="fullpost"><br />I don't think I really need to run down the story of <em>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</em> for you, do I? (<a href="http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm053.html">Read the full original English text by the Brothers Grimm here, if you don't know it yet.</a>) Disney's interpretation is pretty much a classic by now. And though it feels it's being told in a style that's far from contemporary, Snow White holds up. Enough about the the story, let's get to the meat of my commentary. Let's talk about the Blu-ray disc itself!<br /><br />Robert A. Harris, the famous film historian and preservationist responsible for restoring innumerable films like <em>Lawrence of Arabia</em> (in 1989),<em> Spartacus</em> (1991), <em>My Fair Lady</em> (1994), <em>Vertigo</em> (1996) <em>Rear Window</em> (1998) and more recently the <em>Godfather</em> films, has stated the <em>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</em> Blu-ray disc is "...essential to any serious collection." I'd say that's putting it lightly. This disc is as good as home video gets. Disney has given the film, which many consider to be one of the most important in cinema history, the royal treatment. It looks and sounds absolutely terrific! The studio could have scrubbed it to the bone, removed all grain, sacrificed detail, chopped it to fit your widescreen plasma display or performed any number of operations that would have "improved" the film for modern home video audiences. Instead, they've allowed Lowry Digital to carefully bring the 1937 animated to life, scanning all elements at 4K and using the same proprietary technology that has taken care of classics from <em>The Wizard of Oz</em> to the <em>Star Trek</em> TV series. I can't imagine Blu-ray getting any better than this.<br /><br />That being said, this Blu-ray presentation won't be for everyone. There will be a portion of the audience disappointed by the warts-and-all transfer presented on the disc. There are damaged or misplaced cells within the film which cause it to appear out of focus for a time. This is fine detail that even Walt Disney wouldn't have noticed during the creation of the film because of the lack of resolution of the Technicolor process. The studio could have digitally "corrected" this effect but chose instead to leave the work as it was created. Brilliant! Again, this is what Blu-ray should be. <br /><br />By the same token, the sound on the disc is fantastic! I'm sorry for all the unadulterated raving and praise I'm showering on this release but, man, they've really knocked it out of the park. The 7.1 DTS-Master Audio track could have been really insulting and over the top, translating the original mono elements into some surround-sound abomination. But again, Disney provides a truly dynamic presentation while remaining true to the spirit of the original work. And just to cover all of their bases, the studio has included the original mono track, for all you purists out there.<br /><br />The bonus features on the <em>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</em> Blu-ray disc are wonderful but problematic. Let's start with the wonder. There is so much stuff packed on to two Blu-ray discs! I spent hours combing through every nook and cranny of this thing - a commentary track hosted by historian John Canemaker and featuring comments by Walt Disney himself, deleted scenes and storyboards, short documentaries and the Hyperion Studios tour which encompasses hours upon hours of shorts (<em>Silly Symphonies</em> in HD!), galleries, featurettes and audio snippets. And don't even get me started about the creepy "Magic Mirror" which greets you every time you put the disc in. That thing will talk to you about the time of day, the weather outside, how many times you've watched the disc...Brrr...Creepy...<br /><br />What I didn't like about the extras was the Hyperion Studios tour navigation and the fact that Disney has failed to include all of the bonus features from the 2001 DVD release. In order to watch the features buried within the Hyperion tour (and they are multitudinous!) , the disc forces you to navigate your way through a maze of "rooms" within the studio. So, say for instance that I wanted to watch the "Steamboat Willy" short (Did I mention that all the <em>Silly Symphonies</em> are in HD! <em>SILLY SYMPHONIES</em> IN HD!!! <em>"THE OLD MILL", "FLOWERS AND TREES", "GODDESS OF SPRING"</em> AND MORE IN HD!!!! ... You should really just stop reading now and run out and buy this disc.) I'd have to find my way over to the "Sound Stage" before selecting it. This is a drag. By the same token, I found it annoying that there wasn't a "Play All" button that would have just taken me on the tour, allowing me to sit back and enjoy all the contents. I found myself having to press play on a new feature at least every few minutes. Hell, some of the little nuggets of information, like "<em>Stories from the Camera Department</em>" are less than 60 seconds long!<br /><br />From what I can tell, this new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001V9LPWQ?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001V9LPWQ"><em>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</em></a> Blu-ray is missing a few critical features from the 2001 DVD. Most critically a 40-minute documentary hosted by Angela Lansbury and more abandoned and deleted scenes. It's a shame we're all going to have to hold on to our old DVDs to have everything. I mean, the feature is the thing here and it is glorious. But this would have been a perfect disc for me, if Disney had made it a bit more comprehensive. Seriously, ditch the Tiffany Thorton music video (Who the hell is Tiffany Thorton anyway?) and give me more deleted scenes!<br /><br />One final gripe - the packaging. I live for this stuff. I love Blu-ray and home video. And despite my familiarity with these sorts of things I found the dual package marketing strategy baffling. It took me ages to figure out that Disney was offering the same contents in two completely different packages, targeted at two different audiences. One release is in standard Blu-ray packaging, implying that the DVD included in the package is a bonus. The other release is in standard DVD packaging and strongly implies that the Blu-ray content is the bonus. ARGHH!! What a frustrating thing to do to your customers, Disney! I mean, I get it. I understand what the goal is but there's got to be a better way. Just saying.<br /><br />NOTE: The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001V9LPWQ?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001V9LPWQ"><em>Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs</em> Blu-ray disc</a> is only $9.99 at Amazon.com at the moment (Oct. 6, 2009.) Use the code "snowhite" to get $10 off their already amazingly low price!<br /><br />Via: <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/10/snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs-blu-ray-disc-review/">The Blu-ray Blog</a><br /><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-6347229647634928673?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Brenden Fletcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623462666409644810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-66451744601797570952009-10-05T01:34:00.088-04:002009-10-05T06:25:03.096-04:00Day 2 at Reanimania ’09: Thomas Edison, Touch Fx and Yoshi Tamura<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/edison_es_leo-741083.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/edison_es_leo-741057.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Two films competing at the Reanimania festival are relentless in their vision. The Canadia<span style="font-style: italic;">n Edison & Leo</span> by N. Burns and the Brazilian <span style="font-style: italic;">Passaros</span> by Filipe Abraches.<br /><br />You have not seen a film like <span style="font-style: italic;">Edison & Leo</span> before; a stop motion feature that takes extreme liberties with the life story of Thomas Edison. It does so with plenty of dark humor contained in a father-and-son narrative that surpasses Darth Vader and Luke’s in dysfunctionality. Edison is portrayed as a cheating, robbing and selfish husband/inventor/father. After alienating his older son, accidentally killing his wife, he electrically charges his younger son, Leo, and calls him his “greatest invention”. Electric Leo grows up unhappy until the day he decides to challenge his father. Along the way, many instances of John Watersesque drama occur. There’s even an attack by the Pasana tribe on the Edison house.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Passaros</span> is a hand drawn short film that makes powerful use of bird motifs. An elderly woman feeding hundreds of caged birds on her rooftop receives a younger, male guest. As they dine together, authority figures barge inside the kitchen, sack the man and lock him in one of the woman’s cages. After being freed by the woman, the man whose face has come to resemble that of a bird’s, reaches the edge of the building and decides to flee for his life. The close ups of birds, coupled with the mastery of shapes in the animation (watching the woman dicing and preparing the bird dinner is intense) are what give this dialogue-less film its unique eeriness.<br /><br />Another noteworthy film competing in the short film competition is <span style="font-style: italic;">Desanimé</span> by Anne Leclerq. This puppet animation dealing with loneliness relies on micro-movements such as eye twitches to put the viewers in the emotional space of the protagonist, a young woman. The film also cleverly combines animation with live action. In a couple of exterior shots near the end of the movie, the woman walks amongst crowds of live action. She clearly looks like she does not belong with these people, but that is the point: she’s a secluded person. The combination of both mediums dramatacizes the emotion.<br /><br />On day 2 began MARANI, Reanimania’s animation market. The company that started it off was Touch Fx, a local animation studio. There are not that many animation studios in the Caucasus region. According to Touch Fx, there aren’t any that specialize in high quality CG feature animation. None besides them: Touch Fx is a commercial effects studio turning to feature production. They have two movies on the way: <span style="font-style: italic;">Kukaracha</span>, a co-produced animation with Russia and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Kam</span>, a mo-capped cowboy movie that is completely theirs. Tests sequences from both movies looked impressive and entertaining. Touch Fx churns out a lot of work with a small staff. A couple of talented directors, one IT and effects guru, one art department lead,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/Touch_fx2-769106.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/Touch_fx2-769077.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> one character and setup lead, one senior animator and a handful of modelers, riggers and junior animators. Even the CEO of the company, Vahe Sarkissian, models in his spare time. All of this as they do advertisement spots here and there. The company plans to finish both films in the next two years. I believe Touch Fx will go far but not without presenting themselves better. Their demonstration could have been prepared better: sure the lady with the butterfly wings welcoming the attendees looked cute, but she was not distracting people from the fact that a Q & A session was absent from the showcase.<br /><br />What you did not want to miss after Touch Fx was the second part of Yoshi Tamura’s workshop entitled “2D Animation: Motions and Emotions”. Mr. Tamura, a feature animator with a credit list that includes <span style="font-style: italic;">The Princess and the Frog</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Igor</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Tarzan</span> shared many of his secrets with a group of ten inquisitive animators at the Naregatsi art center. What made Tamura’s workshop interesting was his insistence on researching poses and thinking about the filmmaking aspects of a given scene before actually animating. In brief, here is the method Tamura elaborated on during the workshop:<br /><br />-Understand the movie you’re working on, know its logline and believe in it.<br /><br />-Get to know the characters you are working on. Even if they are secondary, know what their psychology and motivations are.<br /><br />-Do thumbnail drawings of the scene you are working on. Mr. Tamura spends half his time doing thumbnails. He calls this the fun and research stage, and believes that you are never wasting your time doing thumbnails: this is how you obtain the best acting and composition for your scene.<br /><br />-Refer to your own life experience when thumbnailing your poses. This will help the audience refer to their own when watching the movie.<br /><br />-Discuss you work with your supervisor and move on to the next stage: the pose test.<br /><br />-The pose test is a rough animation that features only timing and spacing of thumbnail drawings or models if working in 3d. This stage shapes the animation style of the motion.<br /><br />-After discussing the scene, move on to the first pass of animation which features the main poses (or accents) of the animation. At this stage you will include accel/deceleration and again review your work: your timing can longer change so you might have to get rid of secondary accents from your animation if they are not legible.<br /><br />-After more feedback, go to the 2nd pass and add details such as facial animation.<br /><br />The example Tamura used to explain this methodology was a short sequence from <span style="font-style: italic;">Igor</span> in which Pinky is talking to and pointing at Brain.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR-zEZzXmRM">this</a> Youtube clip, Yoshi Tamura<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR-zEZzXmRM"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/Yoshi-743938.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> breaks down a shot he worked on from <span style="font-style: italic;">Flushed Away</span> in which the protagonist is angrily banging his phone against wall. Mr. Tamura does a great job in explaining how the filmmaking aspects of the shot (the camera framing and the audience’s identification with the character) defined the poses he used in the animation of the character. Along the way, he also touches upon a difference between working in 3d and 2d.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-6645174460179757095?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Armen Boudjikanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228979054416515994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-528961096738489822009-10-03T15:23:00.006-04:002009-10-04T01:05:25.563-04:00Armenia Celebrates 70 Years Of Frame By Frame With Its First Animation Festival<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/reanim_logo-741456.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 424px; height: 131px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/reanim_logo-741445.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> The first Yerevan international animation film festival, ReAnimania ’09, kicked off today in Armenia’s capital. The fest began with the screening of <span style="font-style: italic;">Animal Crisis</span>, a Spanish comedy competing in the feature category. While this film’s drawbacks come from the limitations of Flash animation (i.e.. crappy front view walk cycles), it does take the medium away from the cinematically flat and minimal to the world of Warner hurt gags and <span style="font-style: italic;">Ren and Stimpy</span>esque dirtyness. It does so with an Orwellian script and a pleasure in mutilating Disney archetypes: the heroic stallion, the seedy lion and the treacherous Hyena. Think of this film as <span style="font-style: italic;">South Park</span> with animation principals applied throughout. My favorite instant of the film: watching a Flash hippo clap. A never before seen motion; at least by me.<br /><br />Other highlights from the first day included an intimate interview with Michel Ocelot of <span style="font-style: italic;">Kirikou</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Azur et Asmar </span>fame. The conversations with the director set the tone of the festival. When Ocelot was asked why he is interested in making films for children, he replied that he does not think about his audience when starting to work on a film. He only strives to do a good job. Ocelot believes that animation should go in the direction that graphic novels have taken a while back: dealing with issues in a way that audiences from any age group can appreciate. In the mind of the French animation author, "Animation is never just for children."<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/Vrej_et_Michel-704069.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/Vrej_et_Michel-704056.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This statement was concurred by Vrej Kassouny, the interviewer and director of the festival. Kassouny stated one of the main goals of Reanimania is to make its audiences aware that animation does not equal to films for children. Animation is an art form, and like any art form you can work with it in different ways.<br /><br />With retrospectives on Armenian animation, Bruno Bozzetto and Alexander Shiryaev; the Pitching & Producing for animation and 2D workshops, competitions in feature, short, graduation, TV an educational films; forums and studio showcases, Re-Animania is surely to shed some new light on animation during the next three days. It runs until Oct 6th at Kino Moscow in Yerevan, Armenia.<br /><br />Find the festival schedule and read about the history of Armenian animation on <a href="http://www.reanimania.com/">ReAnimania's site</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-52896109673848982?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Armen Boudjikanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17228979054416515994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-34282755875103172042009-09-27T23:15:00.004-04:002009-09-27T23:50:18.040-04:00Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival 2009: Call For Entries<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.stopmotionmontreal.com/news.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 425px; height: 324px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/stopmomtl-744055.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>The first <a href="http://www.stopmotionmontreal.com">Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival</a> will take place on October 24th and 25th. If you already have a stop motion film, you still have a few days left to submit your film. There are no submission fees (but you should read the <a href="http://www.stopmotionmontreal.com/Entries.html">rules</a> first). Submit your film by September 30th!<br /><br />In addition to submitting your professional, independent or academic film, you'll need to:<br /><ul><li>Complete the <a href="http://www.stopmotionmontreal.com/Entries.html">submission form</a>.</li><li>Provide 2 images from the film.</li><li>Provide a photo of the director.</li></ul>The festival is the brainchild of Erik Goulet, one of the most enthusiastic supporters of animation in the city, especially if it's pixillated or has an armature or clay in it. After a long stint at Softimage, Erik is now an instructor at Concordia University's Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in the Film Animation program. He created the Stop Motion Award to further raise visibility of the art and technique.<br /><br />(Erik has also contributed to fps in the past, <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/feature/050301harryhausen.php">interviewing Ray Harryhausen</a> in the first online issue of fps.)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-3428275587510317204?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Tamuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104036201327633645tamu@fpsmagazine.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-6802141956618001312009-09-10T15:38:00.004-04:002010-03-26T10:57:25.454-04:00Ponyo Blu-ray Bonus Features, Release Date Confirmed<object width="425" height="261"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NiNB4epGxK8&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NiNB4epGxK8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="261"></embed></object><br /><br /><p style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"><a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/ponyo-on-the-cliff-by-the-sea-blu-ray-multi-audio-subtitled-japan/1021189903-0-0-0-en/info.html"><img src="http://www.theblurayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ponyo_dvd_bluray_1b-300x300.jpg" alt="ponyo dvd bluray" title="ponyo dvd bluray" width="100" height="100" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3643" /></p></a>We've heard <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/07/ponyo-and-studio-ghibli-films-on-blu-ray/">rumours</a> and <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/07/studio-ghiblidisney-ponyo-us-blu-ray-release-date-revealed/">speculation</a> about both the Japanese and North American release dates for <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/ponyo-on-the-cliff-by-the-sea-blu-ray-multi-audio-subtitled-japan/1021189903-0-0-0-en/info.html">Studio Ghibli's <em>Ponyo</em></a> on Blu-ray disc but now we can finally confirm, thanks to the <a href="http://www.asianblurayguide.com/news/422/english_subtitled_and_dubbed_ponyo_bd_to_be_released_in_december/">Asian Blu-ray Guide</a> that <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/ponyo-on-the-cliff-by-the-sea-blu-ray-multi-audio-subtitled-japan/1021189903-0-0-0-en/info.html"><em>Gake no ue no Ponyo</em></a> will be hitting the Japanese market on December 8th! Whether or not we'll see it on this side of the Pacific before is still anyone's guess but this we do know for sure - the Japanese release will not only feature English subtitles but Disney's English dub as well! So, if there's no sign of <em>Ponyo</em> hitting a shop near you before the holidays this year, you can feel safe placing that order for the Blu-ray through YesAsia or other import e-tailer.<br /><br />Click through for a look at the bonus features you can expect from the<a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/ponyo-on-the-cliff-by-the-sea-blu-ray-multi-audio-subtitled-japan/1021189903-0-0-0-en/info.html"> Japanese<em> Ponyo</em> Blu-ray:</a><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><ul><li>Storyboard<li>Theatrical Trailers (2 Types)<li>TV Spots (11 Types)<li>Tie-in TV Spots (3 Types)<li>Nitterechin Spots (2 Types)<li>Non-credit Ending (Long Version)<li>Theme Song Release<li>Press Conference<li>Dubbing Session Footage<li>Premiere<li>Interview with Miyazaki Hayao<li>Producer Suzuki Toshio x NTV Editor Tsuchiya Toshio Discussion<li>NEWS ZERO Ponyo Spin-off Segment<li>Miyazaki Hayao Quotations<li>Venice Film Festival Footage<li>Theme Song Music Video<li>Korea Version Theme Song Music Video</li></ul><br /><br />In other Ghibli/<em>Ponyo</em> news, the delayed (due to music-clearance issues) release of the lengthy "making-of" collection that was supposed to be on shelves back in July should street in Japan the same day, December 8th. This collection will not have the stink of English on it anywhere! It's Japanese language only. No subtitles, no dub. The hope for a bittorrented English fan-sub reigns eternal...<br /><br />Via: <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/09/studio-ghiblidisney-ponyo-japanese-blu-ray-bonus-features-release-date-confirmed/">The Blu-ray Blog</a><br /><br />Read more: <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/02/ponyo-blu-ray-disc-review/">Ponyo Blu-ray Disc Review</a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=fpma-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001PR0YC6" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=fpma-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=1421530643" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-680214195661800131?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Brenden Fletcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623462666409644810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-32930872040869576712009-07-27T20:32:00.006-04:002009-07-28T09:00:42.799-04:00Green Lantern: First Flight Blu-ray Disc Review<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0021AENJG?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0021AENJG"><img src="http://www.theblurayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/51g1tek3jll_sl500_aa240_.jpg" alt="Green Lantern: First Flight Blu-ray" title="Green Lantern: First Flight Blu-ray" width="240" height="240" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-4037" /></a><br /><br /><em>GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT</em> (2009, Blu-ray released July 28, 2009 - MSRP $29.99)<br /><br />I couldn't help but think of <em>Law and Order: SVU</em> while watching <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0021AENJG?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0021AENJG">Green Lantern: First Flight</a></em>. And not just because the lead character is voiced by Chris Meloni, one of the cops on the hit NBC show. But because the take on the character and the group he belongs to is such that we're meant to perceive them as being an intergalactic police force, patrolling the cosmos and protecting life from galaxy to galaxy. Cool concept. And it works.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0021AENJG?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0021AENJG"><em>Green Lantern: First Flight</em></a> comes to us as the newest DC Comics/Warner direct-to-video animated feature. And it's another in their long line of success stories, following hot on the heels of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LK8TEM?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001LK8TEM"><em>Wonder Woman</em></a> and the anime-styled anthology <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001614FX0?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001614FX0"><em>Batman: Gotham Knight</em></a>. With the understanding that these projects suffer from massive time and budget restraints, the quality that producer Bruce Timm and his teams are able to achieve is simply astounding. Yet still, writer Alan Burnett faced impossible odds, having to shoe-horn poor, old Hal Jordan's origin story into the first ten minutes of the film - ten minutes comprised of a five minute opening titles sequence (Hey guys, how 'bout we drop that from the runtime next time in favour of a little more story?) The upcoming live-action <em>Green Lantern</em> film, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Ryan Reynolds will no doubt make two hours out of that same story material, glossed over here. But while things feel a bit rushed out of the gate, Burnett is soon allowed to settle into a nice rhythm with his script, exploring the relationship of Hal as rookie space-cop in the Green Lantern Corps, being trained to use his new-found magical-ring powers by seasoned vet of the force, Sinestro (Victor Garber). This is <em>Training Day</em> in space! <br /><br />We get a few scenes that are meant to give us that "cop show" vibe before the story thrusts us into superhero-epic territory, where the film ultimately feels more at home (Was it just me, or did it feel like they were always trying too hard to remind us that the Green Lanterns are cops?) There's a grand, exciting and extremely well animated climax sequence that's worth the price of the disc alone. This is the kind of action you hope to see in a <em>Green Lantern</em> film! Martin Campbell has a lot to live up to now.<br /><br />I have to give credit to the design team on this film. Wow. Incredible work. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0021AENJG?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0021AENJG"><em>Green Lantern: First Flight</em></a> looks wholly original, with designs more inspired by anime than by North American comics. And man, do they work in this context. In fact, the Japanese influence can perhaps be felt a touch too strongly in one particular instance. <a href="http://www.toplessrobot.com/2009/07/first_five_minutes_of_green_lantern_first_flight_i.php">It was pointed out to me by nerd-blogger extraordinaire, Rob at Topless Robot</a>, that Green Lantern's initial transformation into the superhero we know and love is almost identical to that of <em>Sailor Moon</em>. Compare the two and see for yourself!<br /><br />The first five minutes of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0021AENJG?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0021AENJG"><em>Green Lantern: First Flight</em></a>:<br /><center><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:410912" width="425" height="265" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashVars="configParams=type%3Dnormal%26vid%3D410912%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A410912%26startUri=mgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A410912" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" base="."></embed><div style="margin:0;text-align:center;width:500px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;"></div></center><br /><br />And a Sailor Moon transformation:<br /><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ARv66KMlbDw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ARv66KMlbDw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Pretty similar, huh?! Nevertheless, the animation comes off well, with the character designs rarely falling too off model and the more nuanced and intricate movement being saved for the action sequences. Well done.<br /><br />The Blu-ray looks great, as well. I can't get enough of 2-D animation in high-def. From Disney classics to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017APPSO?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0017APPSO"><em>Persepolis</em></a>, I think I could just spend every day watching nothing but old school animation on my PS3. And the audio is no sloutch here either. All in all, a great presentation! <br /><br />My only real complaint with the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0021AENJG?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0021AENJG"><em>Green Lantern: First Flight</em> Blu-ray</a> is directed at the bonus features. While this disc may be packed with extras (including five episodes of <em>Justice League</em> and a <em>Duck Dodgers</em> cartoon!) it doesn't offer a single glimpse behind the curtain. I want to know how this thing was made! We aren't even offered a commentary track this time. At least the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LK8TEM?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001LK8TEM"><em>Wonder Woman</em></a> disc gave us that. And what about that early promo featurette? You know the one, showing us Meloni and Garber in the studio, recording their lines. Where is that little piece of film? Urgh...After watching all the little docs that they do offer us, I feel like it's all just a promotion for writer Geoff Johns and his upcoming comic books stories. A shame that Timm, director Lauren Montgomery, Burnett and the team had to be short-changed to shill some comics. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the upcoming <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027FG29Y?ie=UTF8&tag=fpma-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0027FG29Y"><em>Superman/Batman: Public Enemies</em></a> Blu-ray disc will see fit to show us how the Warner animation magic is made!<br /><br />Via: <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/07/green-lantern-first-flight-blu-ray-disc-review/">The Blu-ray Blog</a><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YySra2d3fZ0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YySra2d3fZ0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-3293087204086957671?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Brenden Fletcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623462666409644810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-81545340498016926082009-07-25T18:00:00.004-04:002009-07-25T18:06:58.187-04:00Marvel Anime - Wolverine, Iron Man and more!<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/w4yrOLQniCk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/w4yrOLQniCk&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><p style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"><a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/marvel-anime-comic-con-poster.jpg"><img src="http://www.theblurayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/marvel-anime-comic-con-poster-150x150.jpg" alt="marvel-anime-comic-con-poster" title="marvel-anime-comic-con-poster" width="150" height="150" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-4003" /></a></p>Ok. I really wasn't expecting this. <strong>Marvel</strong> has teamed up with renowned Japanese animation studio <strong>Madhouse</strong> (<em>Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers</em>) and multiple-Eagle Award winning writer <strong>Warren Ellis</strong> to create four new animated television series to begin airing in Japan next year. The comic book publisher released trailers for two of the anime adaptations of their classic superhero stories last night at San Diego's Comic-Con International. No word yet on what the other two shows might end up being. <br /><br />Check out the incredible <em><strong>Iron Man</strong></em> trailer above, and <em><strong>Wolverine</strong></em> below, after the jump!<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M1vqCUB15os&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M1vqCUB15os&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Via: <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/07/video-wish-list-marvel-anime-on-blu-ray-wolverine-iron-man-and-more/">The Blu-ray Blog</a><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-8154534049801692608?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Brenden Fletcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623462666409644810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-50509280057776620762009-07-20T21:14:00.017-04:002009-07-21T01:20:18.477-04:00Fantasia 2009: DJ XL5's Razzle Dazzle Zappin’ Party<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 60px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/fantasia_logo-704106-756698.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Imagine if your TV was hijacked by aliens with a sense of humour who wanted to give you a taste of the completely bat-shit weird-o things that they saw while conducting experiments in channel surfing to better observe our planet’s strange idiosyncrasies. Rather than ask for the remote from their spiney green hands, you sit back and enjoy the show. The <span style="font-style: italic;">Razzle Dazzle Zappin’ Party</span> show curated by Quebec-based multimedia artist <a href="http://www.myspace.com/djxl5">DJ XL5</a>.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost">Consisting of short films, music videos and animated snippets, DJ XL5's shows always entertain and never disappoint. I still have visions of the KISS video he played flashing through my head and I can’t take a shower without expecting Gene Simmons head to pop his head past my shower curtain.<br /><br />As for the animation clips featured in this year’s show, they were plentiful and wild and included such treats as Canadian <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1646192/">David Baas’</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">Skylight</span> which presented the perils of global warming using a very <a href="http://www.aardman.com/">Aardman Studios</a> vs. <a href="http://www.thefarside.com/">Gary Larson’s Far Side</a> approach. (Spoiler alert – global warming results in everything becoming a cooked turkey.) <a href="http://www.lonesausage.com/">Lone Sausage Productions</a> (creators of the infamous <span style="font-style: italic;">Dr. Tran</span>) returned to this year’s festival with two new shorts: <span style="font-style: italic;">100% Ice</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Furious Little Cinnamon Bun</span>. Completely bonkers material folks. Watch at your own discretion!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.simonscat.com/"> Simon Tofield’s</a> mischievous cat came back in the adorable <span style="font-style: italic;">TV Dinner</span>:<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s13dLaTIHSg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s13dLaTIHSg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Aussie Dave Carter had several of his randy and wickedly bizarre stop-motion clips from the <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.animationshow.com/psychotown">Psychotown</a> series featured and won many snickers and guffaws from the crowd. Other laughs were generated by Éric Lavoie’s repurposing of the printed comic book pages of <span style="font-style: italic;">Batman’s Wedding</span> accompanied by the backdrop of the 1960’s French version of the record of the same name. (Spoiler alert #2 - Robin is very disappointed by these nuptials.)<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/PatrickBoivin">Patrick Boivin</a> had several stop motion clips added to the repertoire including <span style="font-style: italic;">Condoms Are Bad?</span><br /><br /><object width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lh0ZB9OD_fg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lh0ZB9OD_fg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Like many of the 700 others that packed the theatre, I was shocked, amused and amazed by the hallucinatory clips that the renowned DJ XL5 mixed together and tossed out for us to enjoy. It takes true talent to evoke a wide range of feelings en masse and DJ XL5 consistently gets it right. Bravo!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-5050928005777662076?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Tanya McGinnityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17251113567967296295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-91707785402229795152009-07-19T14:10:00.007-04:002009-07-19T20:21:56.315-04:00Fantasia 2009: Hells<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 60px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/fantasia_logo-704106-781089.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>“Where do people go when they die?” “They go to hell.”<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hells</span> is a well-executed stylish and action-packed animated exploration into a teenager’s journey back from the depths of hell after she’s the victim of a car accident on her way to her first day at a new school. It’s kind of an afterlife, afterschool special in anime format.<br /><br />Oh, but it’s not that cut and dry. Linne, the protagonist, wasn’t supposed to end up in Hell and this is discovered because there’s no record of her death and she’s able to bleed—something that doesn’t happen to those who dwell in the netherworld.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost">Linne does end up at a school in the afterlife known as Death River Academy and she needs to graduate before she makes it through to Heaven because in Hell, you are studying for your next life. Her new school is full of a wild group of teens that don’t fit within the traditional, school uniform-wearing clique. In particular, the headmaster is a big burly red fella named Headmaster Helvis who bears striking resemblance a mash-up between the King and Hellboy.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hells</span> features some interesting Christian and Buddhist themes such as the classic Cain vs. Abel brother’s quarrel, mention of reincarnation, the power of intention, the energy of mantras, interconnectedness, emptiness, existence and the acceptance of both happiness and unhappiness rather than rejecting one over the other. On this note was the assertion by one of the characters that there is a denial of reality in not accepting death.<br /><br />The notion of Hell existing in one’s own mind is also explored as one scene within the film was devoted to the perspective that we create the world that we live in and it can be viewed as a Hell if we make it so.<br /><br /></span>Japan’s <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/labels/Madhouse.php">Madhouse</a> animation studio has delivered a highly energetic and colorful piece of work with <span style="font-style: italic;">Hells</span>. I encourage checking it out if you are interested in being taken for a wild ride of the human and hell-dweller condition. It’s dark, fast, funny, rock and roll, sad, philosophical, colorful, detailed, shocking, sweet and optic nerve stimulating—all at once.<br /><br />Check out the trailer here:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ZGlxmxQQ9w&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5ZGlxmxQQ9w&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=256"><span style="font-style: italic;">Hells</span></a> has a second showing at <a href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/">Fantasia</a> on Wednesday, July 22nd at 2:00 p.m.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-9170778540222979515?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Tanya McGinnityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17251113567967296295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-38840482265795810082009-07-18T15:23:00.004-04:002009-07-19T02:55:18.417-04:00Fantasia 2009: Tokyo OnlyPic 2008<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/fantasia_logo-704106.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 60px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/fantasia_logo-704102.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to see <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=119"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tokyo OnlyPic 2008</span></a> at the Fantasia Film festival.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tokyo OnlyPic 2008</span> comprises a selection of the series of both live-action and animation segments of fictional sports events, and I'm using "sports" in the loosest sense of the word. This film is strange, at times awkward, and always funny. I highly recommend it.<br /><br />Some of the animated events include the CG-animated <span style="font-style: italic;">Men's Independence</span>, in which men hurl their mothers in a discus-like throw (trust me, it works, you'll be laughing as you think, "This is soooo <span style="font-style: italic;">wrong</span>"), and Bill Plympton's <span style="font-style: italic;">Love Race</span>, in which female celebrity of Paris Hilton proportions is chased around the stadium track by runners who happen to also be world-class at winning a material girl's heart.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jn_K8EasvlM&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jn_K8EasvlM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />That was a trailer for <span style="font-style:italic;">1000-character SMS Texting</span>, but here's one for the Home Athlon short, which doesn't appear in the selection shown at Fantasia, in case you don't want a spoiler.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/itIefoA3DJ4&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/itIefoA3DJ4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tokyo OnlyPic 2008 </span>shows again on Sunday, July 19th at 2:15 p.m., right after <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=84">Evangelion 1.0</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-3884048226579581008?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Tamuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104036201327633645tamu@fpsmagazine.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-21629952325030015902009-07-17T00:35:00.001-04:002009-07-17T08:19:28.853-04:00Fantasia 2009: Les Lascars Contest Giveaway<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 60px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/fantasia_logo-739739.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dailymotion.com/lascars"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 424px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/LASCARS_LES_1-775526.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This just in: you can win one of 25 tickets to tonight's Montreal screening of<a href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=86"> </a><a href="http://www.lascars-lefilm.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Les Lascars</span></a>, a French feature based on the Flash animations of the same name. <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/lascars"><span style="font-style: italic;">Les Lascars</span> shorts</a> are a little rough around the edges but sidesplitting. The feature keeps the overall feel, but some care has been put into the production values, providing lots of polish.<br /><br />The International premiere of the film takes place tonight, Friday July 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Fantasia festival.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="339" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x9bq2a"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x9bq2a" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="339" width="420"></embed></object><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This screening is the original French version with English subtitles.<br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If you would like a ticket to tonight's film, be one of the first 25 people to send your full name by email to lascars@fpsmagazine.com before 1 pm EST. </span>(You must be available to pick up your ticket at the Hall theatre 20 minutes before the film begins).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-2162995232503001590?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Tamuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104036201327633645tamu@fpsmagazine.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-58909702236731384982009-07-12T21:51:00.008-04:002010-03-27T14:52:17.148-04:00Ponyo and Studio Ghibli films on Blu-ray<object height="261" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NiNB4epGxK8&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NiNB4epGxK8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="261" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />My favourite movie on the planet, I mean the absolute best film ever made, in my eyes is <em>Tonari No Totoro (My Neighbour Totoro)</em> by Hayao Miyazaki. Damn near cinematic perfection in animation. And Miyazaki's best work, by far. Even compared to his wonderful, most recent film, <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/ponyo-on-the-cliff-by-the-sea-dvd-normal-edition-english-subtitled/1019607726-0-0-0-en/info.html"><em>Ponyo</em>, which has just been released on DVD in Japan</a>.<br /><br />How can you get <em>Ponyo</em> or <em>Totoro</em> on Blu-ray? Well, you can't. Not yet anyway.<br /><br />Read more after the jump:<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Studio Ghibli is Miyazaki and his partner Isao Takahata. They've each produced a ton of films since the studio's debut in the mid 80s, with most having been released on DVD here in North America and in Europe since Ghibli's distribution deal with Disney/Buena Vista some years back. To date, however none of these films have been released on Blu-ray. But don't fret. There's hope!<br /><br /><p style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"><a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/ponyo-on-the-cliff-by-the-sea-dvd-normal-edition-english-subtitled/1019607726-0-0-0-en/info.html"><img src="http://www.theblurayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ponyo_dvd_bluray_1b-300x300.jpg" alt="ponyo dvd bluray" title="ponyo dvd bluray" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3643" height="300" width="300" /></p><em>Gake no ue no Ponyo</em>, though released on DVD last week in Japan (region coded to work in Japanese players only, of course</a>) has been announced for a December release on Blu-ray! No details of the disc itself are available yet but this bodes well for those of us outside of the land of the rising sun. You see, with the film opening in theatres here on August 14, and North America sharing a region code with Japan, I think this is Disney's sneaky little way of letting us know that we'll be seeing <em>Ponyo</em> on Blu-ray in North America at the same time. No point releasing it in one place alone when the disc is programmed to work in the other. So, my best guess is that <em>Ponyo</em> will hit the USA and Canada on Blu-ray in December, to be followed slowly in the coming months by the rest of the Ghibli catalogue. Mark my words!<br /><br />One thing we sadly won't see on our shores is <em>Ponyo wa Kousite Umareta (This Is How Ponyo Was Born)</em>, the recently delayed 2-disc, 12 hour long <em>Making-of-Ponyo</em> release (pushed back to December to clear music rights, according to Studio Ghibli executive producer Suzuki Toshio). Even when it does hit the shops, this Blu-ray won't feature an English dub or any subtitles whatsoever. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we might see a fan-sub pop up on the internets.</p><p><br /><br />In the meantime, to sate your Ghibli pallet, there are a handful of related releases on Blu (Hint - Snap up the <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/joe-hisaishi-in-budokan-miyazaki-anime-to-tomo-ni-ayunda-25-nenkan/1019607861-0-0-0-en/info.html"><em>Hisaishi in Budokan</em></a> disc to see a bonus feature of music videos with Miyazaki's animation set to music. <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/joe-hisaishi-in-budokan-miyazaki-anime-to-tomo-ni-ayunda-25-nenkan/1019607861-0-0-0-en/info.html">The first Ghibli animation available for home video consumption in HD</a>!):<br /><br /><p style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"><a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/joe-hisaishi-in-budokan-miyazaki-anime-to-tomo-ni-ayunda-25-nenkan/1019607861-0-0-0-en/info.html"><img src="http://www.theblurayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/51mwwddknwl_sl500_aa240_.jpg" alt="Joe Hisaishi in Budokan - Miyazaki Anime to Tomo ni Ayunda 25 Nenkan Blu-ray" title="Joe Hisaishi in Budokan - Miyazaki Anime to Tomo ni Ayunda 25 Nenkan Blu-ray" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3634" height="150" width="150" /></p><em>Joe Hisaishi in Budokan - Miyazaki Anime to Tomo ni Ayunda 25 Nenkan</em></a>: <em>"To commemorate the release of Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, master composer and Miyazaki's longtime collaborator Hisaishi Joe held special concerts at the Budokan on August 4 and 5, 2008. Joe Hisaishi in Budokan - Miyazaki Anime to Tomo ni Ayunda 25 Nenkan fondly revisits the award-winning composer's 25 years of musical collaboration with Miyazaki. Featuring a 200-person orchestra, an 800-person choir, and guest appearances from vocalists Hirahara Ayaka, Masako Hayashi, Fujioka Fujimaki, and Ohashi Nozumi, this concert DVD captures a night filled with music from Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, Laputa, Princess Mononoke, and other beloved Ghibli classics. Comes with making of and screen animation footage."</em><br /><br /><p style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"><a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/oga-kazuo-exhibition-ghibli-no-eshokunin-the-one-who-painted-totoros/1005056046-0-0-0-en/info.html"><img src="http://www.theblurayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/51nnvslmrvl_sl500_aa240_-150x150.jpg" alt="Oga Kazuo Exhibition: Ghibli No Eshokunin - The One Who Painted Totoro's Forest Blu-ray + DVD" title="Oga Kazuo Exhibition: Ghibli No Eshokunin - The One Who Painted Totoro's Forest Blu-ray + DVD" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-3639" height="150" width="150" /></p><em>Oga Kazuo Exhibition: Ghibli No Eshokunin - The One Who Painted Totoro's Forest</em> (English Subs)</a>: <em>"From July 21 through September 10th, 2007, the Museum for Contemporary Art Tokyo held an exhibition honoring Oga Kazuo, the art director and background artist for many famed works from Japan's Studio Ghibli. Over 600 works from the artist were on display, and numerous fans flocked to the one-of-a-kind exhibition celebrating the lush, gorgeous background artwork typifying many a work from Miyazaki Hayao and other Ghibli filmmakers. International fans of Oga and Studio Ghibli have not been left out, however. The Oga Kazuo Exhibition: Ghibli No Eshokunin - The One Who Painted Totoro's Forest (Blu-ray + DVD) allows fans the opportunity to attend the exhibition, as well as watch interviews and testimonials with Oga's contemporaries and collaborators, all subtitled in English."</em><br /><br /><p style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"><a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=60447&wgprogramid=1120&wgtarget=http://www.yesasia.com/us/the-scenery-in-ghibli-japan-in-miyazakis-work-european-journey-to/1014502837-0-0-0-en/info.html"><img src="http://www.theblurayblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/51v-agriayl_sl500_aa240_-150x150.jpg" alt="The Scenery In Ghibli : Japan in Miyazaki's Work / European Journey To Meet Miyazaki's Work Blu-ray" title="The Scenery In Ghibli : Japan in Miyazaki's Work / European Journey To Meet Miyazaki's Work Blu-ray" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-3641" height="150" width="150" /></p><em>The Scenery In Ghibli : Japan in Miyazaki's Work / European Journey To Meet Miyazaki's Work</em></a> : "<em>With the use of Miyazaki's ekonte (storyboards) 3 travellers, actress Tsuruta Mayu, Natsukawa Yui and actor Sugimoto Tetsuta, visit the places and towns related to the images from Miyazaki's animated works. BS-Nippon re-edited the European part that aired on their TV channel back in 2006, as well as the Japanese part which aired in 2008 on BS-Nittere. In The Japan Miyazaki depicted (95 minutes), Tsuruta Mayu visits the places of "good old Japan" and discovers profound attractions like Totoro and Spirited Away and also shows the charm of Ponyo. In A Trip of the Europe Encountered in Miyazaki's Works (85 minutes) Natsukawa Yui visits Stockholm and Gotland to seek Koriko town from Kiki's Delivery Service. Sugimoto Tetsuta visits Alsace region to seek the town where Sophie lives in in Howl's Moving Castle." </em>(via <strong><a href="http://www.ghibliworld.com/news.html">GhibliWorld.com</a></strong>)<br /><br />Hayao Miyazaki will be making a rare appearance and speaking at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 24, in Hollywood for the US premiere of <em>Ponyo</em> on the 27 and in Beverly Hills, Calif., to be honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences the following evening, July 28.<br /><br />Read more about Blu-ray at <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/07/ponyo-and-studio-ghibli-films-on-blu-ray/">The Blu-ray Blog.com</a><br /><br />Read about the new Studio Ghibli DVDs: <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2010/03/video-wish-list-studio-ghibli-collection-on-blu-ray/">Studio Ghibli Collection</a><br /><br />And play those discs on the <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/12/the-top-10-reasons-the-ps3-is-the-best-blu-ray-player/">PS3, the best Blu-ray player</a> on the market today!<br /></p></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-5890970223673138498?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Brenden Fletcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623462666409644810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-56607082478100678202009-07-06T23:33:00.001-04:002009-07-07T00:24:34.391-04:00Fantasia 2009: Animation Lineup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 60px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/fantasia_logo-798119.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>In addition to the <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/2009/07/fantasia-2009-opening-film-miikes.php">opening film</a> and <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/2009/07/fantasia-2009-animation-highlights.php">animation highlights</a> revealed by the 2009 Fantasia festival, the rest of the films do not merely round out the animation portion of programming. These selections reflect some of the more interesting selections of on the cinematic edge.<br /><br />The features, in addition to <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=10"><span style="font-style: italic;">Genius Party Beyond</span></a>, <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=256"><span style="font-style: italic;">Hells</span></a>, and <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=86"><span style="font-style: italic;">Les Lascars</span></a>:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=142"><span style="font-style: italic;">Edison and Leo</span></a>, the first Canadian stop-motion feature, is described as a "surprising chunk of steampunk fun, a revisionist, retro science-fiction thriller with a zesty dash of decidedly adult gags." OK, I'm in.</li><li>anime features<span style="font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=121">Eureka Seven</a></span> and <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=84"><span style="font-style: italic;">Evangelion 1.0</span></a><br /></li></ul>The shorts, in addition to those in <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=119"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tokyo OnlyPic 2008</span></a>, <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/spotlight.php?id=14"><span style="font-style: italic;">Celluloid Experiments 2009</span></a>, <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/spotlight.php?id=20"><span style="font-style: italic;">DJ XL5's Razzle Dazzle Zappin' Party</span></a>:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/spotlight.php?id=13"><span style="font-style: italic;">Outer Limits of Animation 2009</span></a> includes Run Wrake's <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=314"><span style="font-style: italic;">Control Master</span></a>, PES' <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=296"><span style="font-style: italic;">Western Spaghetti</span></a>, and Theodor Ushev's <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=298"><span style="font-style: italic;">Drux Flux</span></a> among others</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Outer Limits of Animation 2008</span> and<span style="font-style: italic;"> DJ XL5's Hellzapoppin' Zappin Party</span> will be shown in separate special outdoor screenings in Parc de la Paix</li></ul>Also of note:<br /><ul><li>Even more animation shorts are sprinkled throughout the festival as usual and are by no means segregated, exposing animation to the wider Fantasia audience. You can find shorts in this year's edition of <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/spotlight.php?id=15"><span style="font-style: italic;">Small Gauge Trauma</span></a> and the many <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/spotlight.php?id=2"><span style="font-style: italic;">Courts métrages québécois</span></a> and <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/spotlight.php?id=7"><span style="font-style: italic;">Courts métrages québécois</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">DIY</span></a> selections. Look out for Malcolm Sutherland's <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=186"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tourists</span></a> and <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=187"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Astronomer's Dream</span></a>.</li><li>The fight sequences in <a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=15"><span style="font-style: italic;">Battle League Tokyo</span></a>, animated by Gonzo</li><li><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=87">Antique</a>, a live-action adaptation, based on the manga<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Antique Bakery</span>, which also has an anime adaptation</li><li><a href="http://fantasiafestival.com/2009/en/films/film_detail.php?id=66"><span style="font-style: italic;">M.W.</span></a>, a live-action adaptation based on the powerful manga by animator Osamu Tezuka.</li></ul>Bon festival!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-5660708247810067820?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Tamuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104036201327633645tamu@fpsmagazine.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-77142475223437808682009-07-02T18:41:00.005-04:002009-07-06T23:23:28.131-04:00Fantasia 2009: Animation Highlights<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 60px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/fantasia_logo-731519.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The full <a href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/">Fantasia 2009</a> lineup will be announced soon, but here are some of the animation highlights of North American's largest cult film festival, right in fps's home base of Montreal.<br /><br /><span>I'm excited about</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Genius Party Beyond</span>, <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/labels/Studio%204C.php">Studio 4C</a>'s companion to <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/labels/Genius%20Party.php">Genius Party</a>, shown last year at the festival.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qPYnzVdY2Q0&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qPYnzVdY2Q0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=7991"><span style="font-style: italic;">Hells Angels</span></a><span> is a Madhouse production with a star crew behind this manga adaptation. </span><a href="http://www.cencoroll.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Cencoroll</span></a> is a shorter take that seems quite intriguing. Seems equally intriguing, but with a more sedate, less over-the-top storytelling style.<br /><br />The feature <a href="http://www.lascars-lefilm.com/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Les Lascars</span></a> is based on the French cult show of the same name and should go over well with the boisterous festival crowd (if you've not yet made it to a Fantasia festival screening, the involvement of the audience is worth the price of the ticket alone).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tokyo Onlypic 2008</span> looks like it will be a side-splitter. It's an anthology of animated and live-action shorts describing outrageous Olympic-style events. Check out Bill Plympton's Race For Love in the trailer.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CfmYJTBEBkQ&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CfmYJTBEBkQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">DJ XL5's Razzle Dazzle Zappin' Party</span> promises another year or crazily juxtaposed shorts (many animated) simulating the channel-changing experience... to the power of ten.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Celluloid Experiments</span> always features edgy animation selections in its roster. I doubt this year will be any different.<br /><br />You'll be able to view the full schedule <a href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/">online</a> and procure a printed festival program with a DVD full of trailers on Friday. Hope you can survive the wait!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-7714247522343780868?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Tamuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104036201327633645tamu@fpsmagazine.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-28371354122924528822009-07-02T18:15:00.003-04:002009-07-21T01:22:47.694-04:00Fantasia 2009: Opening Film - Miike's Yatterman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 60px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/fantasia_logo-763587.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The entire lineup looks promising at the <a href="http://www.fantasiafestival.com/">Fantasia film festival</a> this year, running from July 9 to 29. While fps focuses on animation, Fantasia (the largest event of its kind in North America) is a combination of the best cult film worldwide, and has an impressive lineup of film of all types, including live-action and animated horror, action, fantasy, science fiction, weird and edgy films.<br /><br />As I said, we like to stick with animation around here, but I have to mention this year's opening film, even though it's got (gasp) real people in it.<br /><br />This year's opening film is the live-action feature <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/film-review-yatterman-1003955559.story"><span style="font-style: italic;">Yatterman</span></a> that began life as a manga in the 70s, which shortly after became an anime series (that was recently updated in 2008).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=8783"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 405px; height: 284px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/yatterman-736234.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This is the part where we usually begin <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/2008/04/dreamworks-brings-you-ghost-in-shell.php">a</a> <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/2009/01/rant-fund-animators-not-adaptations.php">lament</a> (but <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/2008/05/speed-racer-learns-from-manga-can-teach.php">not always</a>). Definitely not this time!<br /><br /><object height="340" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aIhZffs-fPo&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aIhZffs-fPo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="425"></embed></object><br />The director is the irreverent Takashi Miike who made films such as <span style="font-style: italic;">Audition</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Sukiyaki Western Django</span>. To me this is more reason to see it. However, if viewers are worried about how he would do an all-ages film, I point to the fantastic film <span style="font-style: italic;">The Great Yokai War</span>, which featured his signature style, but also was a wonderful film for younger viewers.<br /><br />I think this film will be the type of fare which is best watched with an enthusiastic audience, in the same way that the live-action version of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cutey Honey</span> (directed by animator Hideako Anno) wowed audiences just a few years ago.<br /><br />The full Fantasia lineup will be available on Friday, July 3.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-2837135412292452882?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Tamuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104036201327633645tamu@fpsmagazine.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-470415927333283102009-06-22T05:58:00.004-04:002009-06-22T22:43:09.166-04:00How To: Making a Great Animation Channel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://parliamenthillpublishing.co.uk/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 326px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/Channel4factor-cover300x326-713499.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Snowman</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Street of Crocodiles</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Girls Night Out</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Creature Comforts</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Screen Play</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">B</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ob’s Birthday</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Man With the Beautiful Eyes</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">City Paradise</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Rabbit</span>: A truncated litany of some of the brilliant shorts that since the mid-1980’s have defined British animation the world over, and are jaw-droppingly impressive. What they, and the unlisted others, share apart from their creative potency is, perversely enough, an institution. A government mandated, uniquely funded institution that luckily for all of us was peopled by passionate souls who cared about art and diversity (writ large), and who actively contrived to put money and resources into the hands of the most talented, fecund creators they could uncover. No, not the NFB (but thanks for thinking of us) Britain’s Channel 4 – or Channel Four, more correctly – television network.<br /><br />In<span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://parliamenthillpublishing.co.uk/">British Animation: The Channel 4 Factor</a>, </span></span>Clare Kitson, Channel 4’s commissioning editor for animation throughout the 1990s, has written a humane and intimate history of the ups and downs of animation at the Channel, leavening it with just the right amount of dry wit, personal insight and anecdote. The book is a deft balance between an academic tome offering historical context and background and an eye-opening guide to anyone interested in the many behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings that go on to actually get these kinds of films made and-most importantly in Channel 4’s case-on to air.<br /><br />As an NFB producer, the themes that resonated for me (both for the echoes and the dissonances) are Kitson’s perspective as a commissioning editor rather than a producer, and the Channel’s intrinsic ability (and sometimes inability) to get things onto TV screens around the UK. While these are not mass audiences by most standards, they are certainly much larger audiences than short animation otherwise gets on broadcast television – if our films get onto television at all. Such a luxury, but as Kitson points out also such a curse, was each season’s scheduling matrix even for a broadcaster so committed to diversities of topic, technique and running length.<br /><br /><span class="fullpost">The Channel 4 Factor is valuable history. But as memoir about what Kitson likes and why, it’s revealing and fun, and already well exceeds the price of admission. The middle section, in particular, reveals the makings of several of the Channel’s most famous films from her own unique vantage point along with the filmmakers’ own tellings of the tale. It’s as a sociological dissection of how such an organization came about, almost from whole cloth, where Clare hits her stride. As a case study, Kitson off</span><span class="fullpost">ers up much of the recipe for success that created and sustained both Channel 4 and the NFB. Indeed, parallels to the NFB regularly caused me pleasant surprise. Compressed in active years, Channel 4’s animation history is like the NFB’s but accordioned into itself three times over.<br /><br />I suspect many producers see commissioning editors as mercurial demagogues, unaware of real work of filmmaking and blithely changing objectives and mandates from season to season. Kitson quite effectively put that myth to rest. She reveals the very passionate people who created an ethos committed to being background players. Producers boosted artists by giving them money to make films, but more importantly by creating a culture that was willing to take big risks on small films. Here’s the original job posting for Channel 4 commissioning editors:<br /><br />Television production experience may be an advantage but is not essential. Whether your passion is angling or cooking, fringe theatre, rock, politics, philosophy or religion, if you believe you can spot a good idea and help others realise it on the screen, we are lo</span><span class="fullpost">oking for commissioning editors and would like to hear from you.<br /><br />Clearly, the early, passionate years of Channel 4 were driven by both by its unique mission and by strength of personality and will of its editors and executives. What kind of society is predisposed to permitting such a creature to be born, and more importantly, to live and thrive? Is it peculiar to Anglo-Saxon socialism, which would also explain the NFB?<br /><br />Kitson writes about diversity and minority remits (but not just about skin colour or ethnicity or orientation) and cultural big thinkers who believed in social change and art as the change tool. She admires a 1980s UK society and a handful of faithful who were ready to lift and be lifted to a new plateau of humanity and criticality, of engagement and responsibility. While not of the same soaring oratory and historic portent of Barack Obama’s presidency, Channel 4 changed the game. I wonder if Mr. Obama might see PBS and the NEA anew were he to read The Channel 4 Factor. I suspect he already carries those convictions or ones quite similar, but I’m quite certain he’d enjoy the animation education he’d get from Kitson's caring and insightful writing.<br /><br />Of course, there’s no telling what the success-to-fail ratio was for Channel 4’s roster, much as it’s hard to know for the NFB</span><span class="fullpost"> unless one is dogged and inclined to statistics. There’s a chance many animators are like me and prone to apocrypha rather than evidence. Although I do think it’s absolutely true that reputations are built on equal parts evidence and belief, and it’s only when belief has no tangible, recent success to riff on that paper lions are revealed and fairly scrutinized. The ratios may have dipped a bit in recent years, but Kitson leaves us with hope for British animation by the book’s end, and it’s a hope I share in all my various capacities within the animation shorts world.<br /><br />We always need a secular, art-centric “city upon a hill” that challenges and binds us. There are precious few such institutions left, but Clare Kitson has given valuable clues and insights in how to go forth and multiply.<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/Fukushima_Michael_04-722012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 204px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/Fukushima_Michael_04-722009.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/portraits/117/">Michael Fukushima</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> is a producer in the National Film Board of Canada’s Animation Studio, apparently with a bit of closeted anglophilia.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Where To Get It</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">British Animation: The Channel 4 Factor</span>, by Clare Kitson published by <a href="http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=93154">University of Indiana Press</a> (North America) and <a href="http://parliamenthillpublishing.co.uk/">Parliament Hill Publishing</a> (UK).</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-47041592733328310?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Michael Fukushimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14942289534896887495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-70077884560918261872009-06-15T13:27:00.004-04:002009-06-21T22:05:32.774-04:00Annecy winners announced<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.maryandmax.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/Mary_and_Max-749953.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Annecy just wrapped up two days ago and the <a href="http://www.annecy.org/home/index.php?Page_ID=2164">winners are announced</a>.<br /><br />Highlights include Hanna Heilborn and David Aronowitsch's <span style="font-style: italic;">Slavar</span> winning the Annecy Cristal Award in the Shorts category, Cordell Barker's <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/2009/04/cordell-barkers-latest-film-runaway.php">Runaway</a> garnering a Special Award from the Jury in the Short Film category, while <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.maryandmax.com/">Mary and Max</a> and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/2009/02/coraline.php">Coraline</a> shared the Cristal for Best Feature.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-7007788456091826187?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Renéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06582336992698670724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-60331176220750082442009-06-10T20:16:00.001-04:002009-06-10T20:16:46.394-04:00Animafrik<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.animationafrica.org/animafrik%2009.htm"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 187px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NyUJXpAOUks/Si-29K1PDxI/AAAAAAAAAAU/bq2bYS_jx1Y/s400/animafrik+2009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345692444707983122" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Animafrik, an African animation film festival that seeks to promote African art and animation will take place October 5th to the 9th, 2009.<br /><br />Animafrik draws the relationship between art and animation and plans to offer a platform to showcase Africa's finest works with screenings, workshops (including workshops for children), exhibits, and professional meetings under the theme "Telling Our Own Stories". There will also be regional screenings in various cities following the festival.<br /><br />DVD submissions may be sent by courier to: Animafrik Festival, No.5. Anowa Link, Tesano, Accra, Ghana; or by mail to: P.O.Box KN 150, Kaneshie, Accra, Ghana.<br /><br />The submission deadline is July 31 2009.<br /><br />More information can be found on the <a href="http://www.animationafrica.org/animafrik%2009.htm">Animafrik 09 website</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-6033117622075008244?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Renéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06582336992698670724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-58888477069476844192009-06-02T23:10:00.004-04:002009-06-02T23:28:27.874-04:00Best Animated Game-Intro Ever: The Beatles Rock Band<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1ftej190O4U&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1ftej190O4U&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />I'm speechless. This animated intro sequence for the upcoming <span style="font-style: italic;">Beatles Rock Band</span> video game is simply stunning. I'd love to know more about the people responsible for it. They manage to tell the career-spanning, mind-bending story of the Beatles in a couple of minutes, seamlessly blending well designed 2-D and 3-D styles of animation. What I wouldn't give for a feature length film this cool...<br /><br />UPDATE: <a href="http://www.offworld.com/">Offworld.com</a> is reporting that the intro was handled by <span style="font-style:italic;">Gorillaz</span> animator Pete Candeland of <a href="http://www.passion-pictures.co.uk/">Passion Pictures</a>, "based on Candeland's similarly jaw-dropping work on Guitar Hero II's TV ad and the full-3D Rock Band 2 intro"<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-5888847706947684419?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Brenden Fletcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623462666409644810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8409810.post-47671519652350536552009-05-26T20:41:00.004-04:002009-05-26T21:16:17.084-04:00The Sky Crawlers Blu-ray Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001VBM0ZU/fpma-20"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 320px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/theskycrawlers2-755674.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001VBM0ZU/fpma-20"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sky Crawlers</span> (122 mins, 2008 - Blu-ray released May 26, 2009)</a><br /><br />I would never count myself among the legion of Mamoru Oshii fans. In fact, I find <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000OPP8KI/fpma-20">Ghost in the Shell</a> a hard slog, tough to sit through. Like watching water boil.<br /><br />All right, I’m exaggerating here. Oshii never fails to deliver beautiful moments and thrilling action in his films but in order to uncover the candy he forces you to suffer the interminable plastic wrapping of verbose philosophical monologues, pretentious classical quotations and ham-fisted expository detail. I’m happy to say that his latest animated film, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001VBM0ZU/fpma-20"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sky Crawlers</span></a> manages to side step these complications. For the most part.<br /><br />Read more after the jump:<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/skycrawlers_still_c407.jpg-711460.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/skycrawlers_still_c407.jpg-711284.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001VBM0ZU/fpma-20"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sky Crawlers</span></a> paints itself as a story about war. It leads you to believe you’re in for one hell of an airplane ride but while director Oshii delivers the occasional immaculately rendered, viscerally engaging dogfight - single and dual propeller CGI vehicles tearing through the computer-rendered sky and each other with dizzying speed and intensity - he’s less interested in action and more keen on theme and concepts. Adapted from Hiroshi Mori’s novels of the same name, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001VBM0ZU/fpma-20"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sky Crawlers</span></a> follows a group of eternally adolescent pilots into the skies as they struggle to understand the meaning of the corporate war they wage. The mysteries of the other-dimensional Europe of the film are revealed through the eyes of Yuichi, a ‘Kildren’ pilot with a missing past and a deepening relationship with the girl who holds the key to it - his self-destructive young airbase commander, Suito. As is par for the course with Oshii, we come to know the characters less through action or dialogue and more through their expression of the thematic concepts at hand - in this case, broadly, youth and war. But for once, this doesn’t get in the way of the film. Though moving at the pace of fanciful poetry, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001VBM0ZU/fpma-20"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sky Crawlers</span></a> remains inventive and engaging throughout, punctuating long stretches of haunting silence or ponderous exchanges with breathtaking images, lightning flashes of action and stirring music by Kenji Kawai.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/skycrawlers_still_c714.jpg-706015.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/skycrawlers_still_c714.jpg-705848.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The Blu-ray disc looks and sounds tremendous. I can’t heap enough praise on Sony for their work with animated features. These guys really seem to know what they’re doing. The transfer is immaculate, three-dimensional and electric on the screen, with the 2-D, cell animated scenes on the ground as clean and vibrant as the CGI aerial dogfights. The intense audio work by Skywalker Sound is some of the most realistic and present I’ve ever experienced in an animated film and immaculately represented here in Dolby TrueHD 5.1.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/skycrawlers_still_c267_1.jpg-746625.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/uploaded_images/skycrawlers_still_c267_1.jpg-746454.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001VBM0ZU/fpma-20"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sky Crawlers</span> Blu-ray disc</a> includes three documentary shorts, each a candid look at the creation of the film and each worth your time. <span style="font-style: italic;">“Animation Research for The Sky Crawlers”</span> (30:52) follows Oshii and his team all over the world as they photoggraph, sketch and record all the visual details required to build the alternate-universe European setting of the film. <span style="font-style: italic;">“The Sound Design and Animation of the Sky Crawlers”</span> (32:16) takes Oshii to San Francisco and Skywalker Sound, giving insight into the critical nature of the film’s sound effects and music to the overall experience. Exclusive to the Blu-ray disc is the 15 minute featurette, <span style="font-style: italic;">“Sky’s the Limit: An Interview with Director Mamoru Oshii”</span>, a sit-down conversation with the director that reveals his intentions for the film and the thought process that ushered the book to script and finally to screen.<br /><br />Read more about <span style="font-style:italic;">The Sky Crawlers</span> in Madeline Ashby's excellent review of the film for fps: <a href="http://www.fpsmagazine.com/blog/2008/09/tiff-08-sky-crawlers.php">TIFF 08: The Sky Crawlers</a><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TaI2Y6KXF6k&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TaI2Y6KXF6k&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001VBM0ZU/fpma-20"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Sky Crawlers</span> is available for $22.99 on Amazon.com - 34% off the MSRP of $34.95</a><br /><br />Via: <a href="http://www.theblurayblog.com/2009/05/blu-ray-picks-for-the-week-of-may-26-the-sky-crawlers-review/">The Blu-ray Blog</a><br /><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8409810-4767151965235053655?l=www.fpsmagazine.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php' alt='' /></div>Brenden Fletcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07623462666409644810noreply@blogger.com1