Author: artofthecartoon

Review: From Burger It Came (Sundance Short Film 2009)

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From Burger It Came/ dir. Dominic Bisignano/ 7 mins/ 2008

fromburgerI have to hand it Dominic Bisignano. He made a film that is both all over the place (in terms of animation) yet at the same time clear and concise (in terms of message). 

From Burger It Came deals with the paranoia of AIDS back in the 1980s. A time when nobody had any idea what AIDS was, and had no idea how AIDS was contracted, spread, etc. 

The story starts out very simply; Kid eats mysterious burger from cafeteria, then has this sudden fear that he has gotten AIDS. The rest of time expands on the kid’s fear of AIDS.

The narration of  this story is set to American folk music and has 4 parts that are intertwined. One part is the first person account of the story. The second is the mother’s account of the paranoia. The third is a conversation between mother and child about the fear of AIDS. And the fourth part is a 1980s teacher educating a class on the popular ideas of AIDS during that time (many of which were very, VERY wrong). It seems like it would be confusing but all these parts converge to outline the fear of AIDS back in the 1980s and the folksy music give it that “what the f… is going on” type vibe.

To compliment the narration and music, the animation and visuals match the crazy nature of what people thought AIDS was back in the day. The style ranges from 2-D cut-outs (via Monty Python) to old 40’s style animation, to 3-D animation, to digital paint. And when viewing this film, your eyes are so bombarded with various images and cartoons that you can’t help but be confused. 

Hence the point of this 7 minute film. Discussing AIDS in the 1980s was practically useless. Add in the fear and paranoia of AIDS with the simple fact that hardly anyone knew anything about this disease during the 80s and you get confusing jumble of misguided images and messages. I, myself, never really knew about all this until Magic Johnson “retired” from the NBA because of the HIV virus. 

In my experience, to truly get this film, you have to watch it several times. I will admit, I threw my hands up at first viewing and thought “what was that?” In truth it is a very weird film. I expect nothing less from  Dominic Bisignano, a CalArts Experimental Animation student.

Kanye West: Heartless (Music Video)

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It might be just me, but I never see music videos anymore. Ever since MTV took the music out, it seems to me that the art of music videos is on serious life support. I could be wrong though, since I just mentioned that I don’t see them anymore (Let me know if there are some videos I should see). Lucky for me, I stumbled on Kanye’s “Heartless” music video last night. To my surprise and enjoyment, the video was all animation. Check out the music video here:

“Heartless”/ Kanye West/ dir. Hype Williams

Immediately I was impressed by the art style and animation that Hype Williams went for. He used a rotoscope style of animation which is basically filming in live action, then having animators draw over the film after. The best example of rotoscoping is in the Star Wars movies during the lightsaber battles (Darth and Luke actually have fake sabers during the filming, but in post-production animators go back and draw over the fake sabers to create the lightsaber effect). In “Heartless”, they just drew over everything.

I also had a sense that the video was an homage to something I had seen before. And after checking Kanye’s blog, it was true, the video was inspired by Ralph Bakashi’s American Pop, which was an animated movie back in the 80’s (I will rewatch it and give my take later) and some of the scenes and backgrounds in that movie were used as inspiration for this music video. This made me appreciate the music video even more.

And lastly, I did appreciate the Jetsons portraits in the backgrounds near the end.

Now I dig Kanye’s work as a producer, his work as an MC is hit and miss (he can be good in one song, then sound like the worst MC of all time in the next), I could be without the Kanye “celebrity” personality, but in terms of his choices in art direction, they have always been sound choices to me (esp. the Graduation album cover by Takashi Murakami). 

PS: I love his new album 808s & Heartbreak, but please Kanye, you have to realize you can’t do any of those songs live. Your performance on SNL proves it.

Bootleg Classics: The Boondocks “Return of the King”

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Bootleg Classics is a new feature I’m trying to start. It feature cartoons that are so great, so fantastic, so creative, and/or so inspirational, that they can’t help but be bootlegged.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I decided to start with this Bootleg Classic.

The Boondocks (animated series) “Return of the King” 

boondocks_s1e9

Background:

The Boondocks is an animated series based upon Aaron McGruder’s comic strip of the same name. The Boondocks is a social satire of American culture and race relations, revolving around the lives of the Freeman family,ten-year-old Huey his younger brother, eight-year-old Riley, and their grandfather, Robert.

The Episode:

This particular episode of the Boondocks explores the scenario  “What if Martin Luther King Jr. survived his assassination in 1968? Was in a coma for 32 years, and woke up and lived in our society today?”

What makes it a Bootleg Classic?

“Return of the King” begins with two quotes:

The 1st  “I want young men and young women who are not alive today to know and see that these new privileges and opportunities did not come without somebody suffering and sacrificing for them.”  -Martin Luther King Jr.

The 2nd  “Whatever, nigga.” – anonymous

These two quotes lay an analogous foundation for this episode. It begins the approximately 20 minutes of what I believe to be the best representation and portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideas and messages on civil and human rights…EVER. Not only that, but the episode is able to be a social commentary on how Dr. King’s message is lost in today’s world.

From the initial celebration of Dr. King’s revival, to his downfall in the American public due to his commentary on the Afghanistan War, to the conclusion when Dr. King steps up and delivers one final controversial speech, this episode was able to show that the same sentiments and feelings that Martin Luther King went through in the 1960’s were still around today. At same time it was also able to mirror Dr. King’s life as a civil rights leader from the 1960’s, from celebrated to denounced in the American public (Dr. King was very vocal against the Vietnam War), to his final days as a more “radical” civil rights leader (many people forget this). The clear message, “there is still work to be done.” The amazing thing, all this was done in 20 minutes.

I have read other reviews that have lambasted this episode as being too preachy. Or that it just wasn’t that funny or entertaining. It was also highly controversial since Dr. King’s speech at the very end is leeched with the dreaded “n-word.” So much so that even the reverend Al Sharpton got worked up about it and tried to get the episode pulled forever (I don’t think Al even watched the show, he heard the n-word and that’s it). My response: You just don’t get it.

Now, I hate saying the phrase “people just don’t get it,” because we are all grounded in different circumstances and have differing point of views. But I believe this episode was important in starting a dialogue that we, as a society, have a lot to do before we even start scratching the surface of Dr. King’s dream. Like it or not, this episode needs to be watched.

Watch a condensed version of this episode, with the 2 quotes,Dr. King’s speech at the end, and the ending:

To end (this has gone on way too long), there is much hope with Barack Obama being the first African American president. But we need to realize that we have not come full circle and that much work needs to be done. President Obama realizes this and iterates it constantly, and so does this Bootleg Classic.

<hit me up, if you want to watch the whole episode>

 

MadWorld

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Hey Wii owners, check this out:

I like the fact that MadWorld is based upon the art style of Frank Miller’s Sin City. It has that visual flare and style that I dig. You know the high contrast black and white, with the only highlight being a gory, bloody red, that’s the stuff. That’s my kind of art. 

So when can I buy this game?

DO WANT!!!

Sundance 2009 Short Films on iTunes (FREE!!!)

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For anyone interested, iTunes has 10 Sundance 2009 Short Films available for download for FREE!!! (act now, it’s free until January 25, 2009).

Go here to get them: http://www.itunes.com/sundance

Here is the list of short films on iTunes with descriptions:

Acting for the Camera —An acting class. Today’s scene: the orgasm from ‘When Harry Met Sally.’

Countertransference —A comedy about an awkward woman with assertiveness problems who seeks the questionable help of a therapist.

HUG—Drew is a musician with a contract ready to sign. When Asa, his friend and manager, realizes Drew is off his meds the across-town drive to sign the contract becomes significantly more complicated.

Field Notes From Dimension X: Oasis —Captain Fred T. Rogard muses in isolation on planet Oasis.

From Burger It Came —An animated film that recounts early 1980s-era Cold War fears of a young boy in middle America. Using a variety of techniques, the visual narrative is colorfully assembled over semi-documentary audio conversations between a grown adult recounting his fears and his mother’s memory of the time and her own concerns.

I Live In The Woods —A Woodsman’s fast-paced journey, fueled by happiness, slaughter, and a confrontation with America’s God.

Instead of Abracadabra—Tomas is a little bit too old to still be living with his parents, but his dream of becoming a magician leaves him with no other option.

James—A young man grapples with the impulses and thoughts about beinggay.

Magnetic Movie—Natural magnetic fields are revealed as chaotic ever-changing geometries, as scientists from NASA’s space sciences laboratory excitedly describe their discoveries.

This Way Up—Laying the dead to rest has never been so much trouble.

I’ll be doing a review on From Burger It Came soon.

Ricardo Montalban (1920 – 2009)

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montalban  On January 14, 2009, the world lost a fine actor and one of the most recognizable voices ever.

We will never see a Fantasy Island, Mr. Roarke or the wrath of Khan Noonien Singh ever again.

In terms of cartoons, his voice gave life to Armando Gutierrez from Freakazoid, Vartkes from Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, El Encantador from Dora the Explorer, Senor Senior Sr. from Kim Possible, and his last great voice work, the Cow from Family Guy.

At least he will live on, in cartoons, as I know there are voice actors out there who will forever copy his signature voice. 

RIP Ricardo Montalban

Fox hunts down ‘Cowboy Bebop’

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I’ll be doing a Cowboy Bebop post sometime next week, but in the meantime…

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Keanu Reeves set to star as Spike Spiegel

By Borys Kit

Jan 15, 2009, 05:45 PM ET

hr/photos/stylus/67456-keanu_bebop.jpg 

Getty Images photo
Twentieth Century Fox is bringing the Japanese anime TV series “Cowboy Bebop” to the big screen, with Keanu Reeves attached to star as a bounty hunter traveling through space in 2071. 

One of the big titles in anime, “Bebop” is set in a time where “astral gates” make interstellar travel possible. Humanity, decimated by a lunar explosion resulting from a gate accident, spread out across the solar system, as did crime, which gave rise to the use of bounty hunters.

Reeves would play Spike Spiegel, a bounty hunter and former member of a crime syndicate. Spiegel, along with Jet Black, a fellow bounty hunter and former cop, are the two pilots of the spaceship Bebop.

Peter Craig is writing the script.

The show, which first aired on Tokyo TV and satcaster Wowow during the late 1990s, was strongly influenced by American music, even featuring action sequences — both space battles and mano a mano — timed to U.S. melodies.

Reeves’ association with the project leaked in the summer when Fox and 3 Arts Entertainment began the process of acquiring the rights from Sunrise Studios.

Erwin Stoff, Reeves’ longtime manager, is producing through 3 Arts. Joshua Long will serve as executive producer.

Sunrise president Kenji Uchida, the TV series’ director of animation, Shinichiro Watanabe, and series writer Keiko Nobumoto will serve as associate producers. Series producer Masahiko Minami will serve as production consultant.

“Bebop” marks a return to Fox for the CAA-repped Reeves, who starred in the studio’s December release “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

All I have to say is:

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Credit: Thanks to the homie, Angela Taniguchi, for the forward!

Photography in Siena: Student Exhibition at Seattle University

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photograhy-in-siena

Thanks to homie, Joysha Fajardo, I decided to hit up Seattle University and check out Photography in Siena: Student Exhibition. You  probably get the gist from the title, but yeah, photography students went to Europe, and this exhibition were some of the dope pictures that they took. 

Now you may be wondering ,”This is the art of the cartoon blog, what does this have to do with cartoons?”

Answer: Everything. 

Whenever doing anything “art”, there is always inspiration. And I dare you to go see this and NOT be inspired. Looking at each of the students’ work, thoughts on a way of how to use these photos as backgrounds, reference pics, or even concept settings for my future animated sequences came rushing in. So yeah…

What does this have to do with cartoons?

Everything…

Plus, when my animation class starts to post up our attempts at animated art, I hope someone is looking on and is just as inspired as I was when looking at these photography students’ pieces.

Exhibit runs through Feb. 6/ Seattle University, Kinsey Gallery, Casey Bldg./ Gallery Hours M-F 10AM – Noon, 1 – 4PM

Check out the homie, Joysha Fajardo’s dope photos for this exhibition (sorry, I couldn’t post pics, I feel bad taking pics at that exhibition).

Review: Spider-Man #583 (aka the Obama issue)

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obamaspidey

  Intro: I went to the Comic Den today, the local Renton comic book shop, to pick up a copy of Spider-Man #583. One for myself, and 3-5 copies for Thaswassup DJ Daps1. I usually head to Pike Place or the U-District for my comic fixes, but I knew that this issue would be popular, so I figured Renton would be the better stop. I was WRONG! 

As soon as pull onto the street where the store is located I see a huge crowd of dudes (Yup no women there). It took me about an extra 5 minutes to find parking, and once I got inside, No luck. Folks were already pre-ordering for the re-issue next week. 

I browsed about the store for an extra 10 – 15 minutes to see if there is anything else I wanted. (I was really looking to pick up the I Kill Giants mini-series). No such luck again. So I decide to place my name on the pre-order list. 

Not sure why (maybe because I’m so cute and charismatic), but the owner of the store says Merry Christmas and hands me the last copy of Spider-Man #583. 

I texted Daps, and said he could have this copy if he wants. But you know I had to read it first…

Spider-Man #583/ Mark Waid & Zeb Wells, writers/ Barry Kitson & Todd Nauk, pencils/ John Romita Sr., cover

Warning: minor spoilers ahead…

First off, the whole book is not about Spidey meeting Obama. In fact, the whole Obama story is just a bonus near the end of the book.It’s only about 5 pages. I’ll get to that in a second. 

The meat of the book is a story by Mark Waid called Platonic, which details the story of how Betty Brant tries to hook Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) up with a girlfriend. I haven’t been keeping up with the Spider-Man series lately and I’m not sure what storyline Spider-Man is in right now, but this was definitely a filler story. I found this surprising as I am a big fan of Mark Waid as a writer. Waid’s stories are usually grander in scale, Kingdom Come is still one my favorite stories (I’m planning to review Kingdom Come in the future), but Platonic was a throw-away one-shot. If anything, Waid did successfully capture the closeness and friendship of Betty Brant and Peter Parker (maybe that’s all he was trying to accomplish).

The art of the other hand, in my opinion, did not help the story one bit. I’m not too familiar with Barry Kitson’s art, but from this issue I have to say I am not a fan. Kitson used way too many medium shots, there were no dynamic shots, and the impact shots he tried weren’t very impactful in my eyes. If I had to use an analogy, I would say his character designs were like Archie characters with a little more detail. Since this was a light-hearted “find a date for Peter” story, maybe that’s why they were designed like that. Unfortunately, my fondness goes out to the ultra-detailed, too many muscles, 90s style of art, so there we go.

Onto the main event. Spidey Meets the President! is the bonus one-shot by Zeb Wells at the end of this issue. Even though it is only 5 pages, it does what it set out to do, which is to make Spider-Man and Obama meet. The story is very simple, I won’t spoil anything really, it is Obama’s inauguration day, before he gets sworn in there’s trouble. Luckily Peter Parker was sent to take pictures so Spider-Man happens to show up and save the day. Obama says thanks, etc..

Art is by Todd Nauck, not familiar with his work either, but it worked for me on this simple story. I mean it kinda of looks like Obama. 

All in all, Marvel did the business thing and cashed in on the Obama craze. It was a little tacked-on but oh well. I’m looking forward to the Obama/ Hope presidency. 

BTW: The 1st print of the Spider-Man #583 does NOT have Obama on the cover. It looks like this:

spiderman583

The 2nd print has got Obama on it, and I pre-ordered 3 of those bad boys!!!