The Brand Spuit

This is a drawing of the "Brand Spuit" or in other words: an old-school 'Fire Station'. I spent about an hour and a half to two hours on it. I saw it and thought it looked really great and went back, first time my hand has drawn with pencil in over 2 months.
I think the markers have been a good practice for working without an eraser (more drawings with marker to come), and I think they've really affected me to use less lines, only what I need and get them in the right place to start with. Eraser's used to be the bane of my existence as I relied so heavily on them. I never really could draw properly without erasing every couple of seconds.

Plus those tiles were hell. First drew a grid, then tons of little arches, then the diagonal lines and then re-shaded below all the little arches. Bushes of ivy were also difficult, still not terribly happy with them. Coupla mistakes here or there (forgot to bring an eraser :p). Still going to go back and try and re-shade the whole thing, get more contrast in it.

P.S. Tried to clear off the shadow on the bottom of the page from the scanner and paper-bending, but could only get it so far.

Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine feels like a real story. The 2 main characters are a couple, who we follow at various points in their life together. We slide back and forth in time seeing their triumphs and tribulations. This film manages to balance their life by showing it interspersed, back and forth between their beginning and seemingly their end.

But what truly kept me riveted wasn't the jumps back and forth, or trying to figure out the events they refer to or the structure of their lives. What really kept me in this film was the comparison brought into the characters, between their younger and older selves. The progression the characters go through during their lives feels real. You see how a once charming trait has become skewed over time, and how the fresh relationship has grown rank. Never did I really doubt their choices. Their actions made sense in their younger years as well as their older ones, you don't blame them for what happens to their relationship.

This movie is a drama, and it pulls at your heartstrings, but it doesn't abuse you during it. It plays into those experiences most of us have at one time or another, to love and then grow apart without being able to place where you really went wrong. I think this movie really calls into our human nature through the almost reminiscing quality as well as the stark contrast that happens throughout the film. However it also works so well due to the impeccable performances of Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, as well as the outstanding writing and direction they were given.

And last but not least, Grizzly Bear are featured quite extensively in the soundtrack, and it fits this film so well, you'll be surprised it wasn't made for it. Songs I knew and loved, gained more meaning through their collaboration with the story and images. And they set the tone for the film in a way that really allows this piece to breath, both deep and frantically as needed.

This film was on my list to watch very early on in 2010, and then I forgot about it, and although it had some momentum at the beginning of the year, I think it lost it as more and more movies came out. I think it's a shame that it got forgotten in the tidal wave as this was probably one of my favorites of the year.


P.S. I would put a warning on this movie, but somehow I think those too young for it wouldn't be interested in it anyways. I don't know if I would have appreciated it as fully several years ago. Rated R.

Fotonica

Fotonica is a game. A game in which you use one button. A game...in which you jump and run. But most of all this is a game in which you can go fast (or at least feel like you're going fast). It's really only played on a 2D plane, but what you see is a 3D world made of somewhat abstract black and white visuals. It's a 2D platformer but then from first person-perspective, you hold [spacebar] to run, release it to jump and hold it in the air to come down sooner. Keep up the speed and you  can get a boost, which feels so fast, it's kinda ridiculous. Simple in it's mechanics, it almost all relies on timing on the players part, and well designed levels on the the designers part.

Vlambeer's Super Crate Box

You are a character with a weapon in a platformer level, there is always one crate for you to collect, these give you points and a different gun each time. At the same time enemies come down from the top (instant KO if they touch you), when they reach the bottom they come back out the top angry and fast. So dodge and shoot the enemies while collecting crates for points, simple. (Also it's free go download and play it.)

Pomplamoose

I am currently trying to avoid doing my work, so I have brought You (whomever you might be) a link to some music I've been pretty into lately. Review after the jump.

Spotlight on the Past Five years of Film

I'm not exactly a huge fan of 'top ten lists', or really any list that pits one piece of media versus another. Mainly because I find it way too hard to decide between which is the better (which was very evident when I tried to use flickchart) because each movie has it's own virtues. Also I'm usually better at arguing the other person's point of view, rather than my own. And finally it tends to just encourage flamer/troll life style. So to go against the norm I'm putting a spotlight on a movie from each of the past five years, that doesn't mean they're the best, just that they're interesting picks I wanted to share.

Now without further ado, the spotlights for the past 5 years of film.

2005: Serenity:
It is a movie in space about a weaponised psychic girl and a renegade crew on the run from the government as they discover secrets and expose them to the universe. This movie gets pretty much everything right, and it didn't do much wrong. It knows it's characters backwards and forwards, and has just the right amount of exposition to enlighten the viewer, never getting bogged down in historical facts. It expects a smart audience which can figure things out from context, and doesn't fall into any of the obvious tropes that one might expect. You don't get the cheesy re-used lines many movies employ ("You're not in Kansas anymore"? Come on Avatar), every line just feels right without necessarily being expected. The acting was very good all round, although the overprotective brother was a little overdone sometimes. I like that it started off In Media Res (which is a fancy way of saying 'mid story' rather than at the beginning) and how it plays with time in it's initial sequence. The whole thing raps together very nicely, the context, the characters, the story, the effects, the Galaxy Quest reference...wait what? Yeah, you heard me, it may be a stretch, but it's close enough.

2006: Fido

Fido is about a post-apocalyptic world of zombies...where the humans have tamed the zombies. Yes, a world of guarded communities with zombies as servants wearing electric dog collars in case they misbehave. The great thing about this movie is it's style, it really looks like the what you'd expect from the 1950's. The bright colours really pop, the clothing, the cars, the white picket fences, the picnics and kids playing in the park, it all fits. Somehow even the zombies seem to fit. They put a counterbalance on the sweet, everything-is-perfect illusion the people put on while they aren't practicing their aim with a shotgun. But really this movie is about a boy and his zombie, love stories that are creepy but kinda sweet at the same time, and a corrupt anti-zombie-rights society. It's fun stuff, it's got Billy Connolly as the Zombie, what more reason do you need to watch this?

2007: Rocket Science

It is very easy to remember this movie for the plot, a boy with a stutter gets recruited by the school hottie for debate. Then she leaves for another school, and he is left to handle the debate team on his own. Recruiting a former finalist who had a revelation at the former New Jersey state-wide debate competition. What really is the highlight of the movie is the character work, the stuttering Hal Hefner, divorced parents, love interest, peculiar brother and friends. He is someone who doesn't know what his place is in life and he's going through it by finding one thing at a time to focus on. Although his stammer stops him from reaching certain heights, in daily life he has other concerns. Almost all of the roles are played to a T, especially the kids, his brother, the former finalist, the flirtatious recruiter. All of these parts come together perfectly with the script and plot to tell a very personal story. Luckily it's also a personal indie movie that you can enjoy multiple times without getting sick of it (Juno anyone?). Also Jonah flippin' Hill as the school philosopher.

2008: City of Ember

This is the freshest children's fantasy scifi movie this side of the millennium. It opens to a little exposition of how the greatest minds created an underground city so that humans could survive whatever was going to happen. They don't name any pending disaster but you can fill in the blank, something that will wipe off anything on the surface. 200 years later the escape plan for the citizen's has been lost for several decades, the generator is failing and two nosy kids start putting their noses where they don't belong. What is truly remarkable about this movie is the world it creates. In Ember everyone is assigned a job, which becomes one of their most defining features, the messengers red capes, the pipeworks overalls and light-up hardhat. Other than the costumes, the set design really sparks as well, the little buildings all patched one on top of the other, the mayor's dignified and musty office and hall, the grandma's disorderly house filled with strings of yarn that lead to an item each, the father's cramped robotics shop, the list goes on and on. Everything fits the degrading nature of a 200 year old city being kept up by people who don't really know how to work them. On top of all, it has Bill Murray, Martin Landau, Mackenzie Crook, and many other familiar faces. Why this movie wasn't a hit, I have no idea.

2009: The Brother's Bloom

This is my kind of conman movie, it over-thinks itself. Some might say to a fault. However the story of two brothers Steven and Bloom and their mark Penelope turns into quite a moving story. The movie starts with a little nicely-wrapped-up introduction story of the two young conmen (at this stage still boys), who quickly learn their roles in this wold, for Steven that means coming up with plans, for Bloom it means following them. Flip forward 25 years, and we see a Bloom who is tired of "the written life" and Steven trying to convince him on one last job, to bring the shy (and quite rich) Penelope out of her shell on a fake con, while at the same time conning her. The story quickly spins out of control from there, moving increasingly further away from the neat story we're offered at the beginning. Hopefully "everyone gets everything they want" as Steven says, I know I did.

So let's see I managed a sci-fi movie, a zombie movie, a high school movie, a fantasy movie and a conman movie, that completes the rounds. These are all really good and should be accessible to most.

Major Spoilers

The very first website to be awarded with a RoM is Major Spoilers "We know you love comics. We do to." Why? Because they make me laugh about things I have very little knowledge about, and their craziness keeps me coming back for more. Also every once in awhile they review a graphic novel (or to everyone else comic book) I'm interested in or lead me to a new series to devour. The trio of Matthew, Stephen and Rodrigo creates a very balanced listening experience while still being entertaining and relevant to the media. And darn if they don't make me listen through their whole show just to hear that catchy theme song at the end. Reviews, articles, podcasts, polls and many things nerdy. Guilty pleasure, maybe, but if you are at all interested in comics and people who are funny check this out.
Major Spoilers Comic Book Site

Holy F*ck at the Paradiso

I was looking for what concerts to check out before I leave to the states, and this was one of the ones that popped up. It was a late night show on a wednesday, I figured I wouldn't be able to get anyone else to come. Oh well, c'est la vie, and went on checking concerts out. Then there was Holy F*ck again in Pittsburgh days before I was going to be there, this couldn't be a coincidence, I was going to miss them when they were in america, and I had my chance. I called up a friend and we went to one of the best shows I've ever been to.

They play electronic music but only through analogue means, which means no computers and instead a slew of mini keyboards, pedals, chords and even a film synchronizer (which I had never even heard of before this band). All these things give the band a manic feel as they play through their set, pieces of the puzzle which is their set get switched in and out both physically and in the music, seemingly based on the mood swings of the musicians more than the structure of the song. A madness that is somehow tamed by these two men and their plethora of audio devices. Even though it's the accompanying drums and bass that are really keeping the band together, the epic (and sometimes eclectic) sweeping (and at other times jarring) electronic sounds are what drive the songs towards their eventual heights and catch the audiences fascination. Many of the crowd who were originally dancing around wildly fell into more of a lull of movement as they let the music and lights hypnotise them into the wildness of Holy F*ck.

Which brings us to another point, whoever was doing the lights at the Paradiso is a genius. He managed to fit the lights perfectly to the swinging moods of the band, at one moment erratic flashing green lights, turn into billowing purple cones rolling over the crowd, and then reverse into red lights moving five times as fast. Each switch perfectly fitting the music, and I believe this on top of the amazing and entertaining show from Holy F*ck, was what pushed this concert to the best I have ever seen. Kudos to you lights man.

P.S. Holy F*ck's third album is out entitled Latin, it is also great stuff. Check them out.
http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck
 http://www.amazon.com/LP-Holy-Fuck/dp/B000W1V3PS
http://www.amazon.com/Latin-Holy-Fuck/dp/B003E1QCGI/ref=pd_bxgy_m_img_b

Skeletons at the IFFR

"Black comedy with in which two exorcists fairly literally remove the skeletons from the cupboards from people's homes. Some fairly embarrassing secrets are revealed along the way. A case where the skeletons have hidden themselves turns the lives of all those involved. An original debut with Paprika Steen and Jason Isaacs."

One of the best parts of Skeletons is the execution of the film. How it introduces concepts, and gets you wondering about what's going on. Usually within the next 15 minutes you'll have gotten an answer to the question you had, but then more questions will be brought up. So to say anything about the plot would spoil a part of Skeletons. So I will try to step as lightly as I can around the subject matter avoiding any reveals.

Taking a Gander at the Music of 2009

I have listened to...11 albums this year, not a lot, but I'll tell you about some of my favorites.

White Denim : Fits
This is a rock album. It is pretty awesome. Voices echo into the forefront in the first song Radio Milk before a solid drum beat and catchy bass riff set the stage for a voice to blare in and an electric guitar to tear through the musical landscape. Fits is full of energy and continues to deliver it's catchy kinetic tunes throughout the whole album. White Denim doesn't fill their songs with lyrics and most of their songs are under 3 minutes, these things aren't bad, it merely shows that this band knows how to make a catchy song, with strong beats, striking riffs and strong vocals. Often when referring to this band I describe them as the reincarnation of Jimi Hendrix split into three parts all playing with one vision.

Tim Fite : Change of Heart

Tim Fite is at another end on the musical spectrum from White Denim. This album is filled with very thoughtful and definitely personal songs that build up slowly. These are filled with mood, chronicling the progression of a broken heart. The confusion of why, trying to get by, promises from an honest man, giving up on the whole process, feeling lost, anger and finally resolve. This album covers all of these experiences using Tim's multiple harmonies laid over one another intricately and purposefully, the dissonance and sound glitches reigned in to be useful instead of randomly as they did in other albums. The one man show that is Tim Fite strikes every chord in this his most personal album, and one might also say his most accessible album, delving into the heart.

 Brazos : Phosphorescent Blues

The Brazos are cool, they make songs that sound like a good time on the beach, often the noises will build up a harmony and fullness reminding one of the wash in and out from the sea. People playing games and running around, all lit up by the glow of a warm bonfire. It is interesting that they call it blues, the smooth swooping melodies and warm accompaniment speak more of good times than bad. Brazos do bring in more tender moments with Avignon and the all piano piece Pues, however it never sinks too far into the dark before a melody brings it up to the surface. Phosphorescent Blues drifts on swapping guitar for piano every couple of songs, and eventually it drifts to a stop "content to cross the finish line on it's own terms rather than in a final sprint"*.

Grizzly Bear : Veckatimest

Veckatimest is an album that finally brings the potential of Grizzly Bear to the forefront. Unlike previous albums that sometimes sound disjointed, Veckatimest is cohesive and strays into new areas. The first song on the record Southern Point starts out quite jazzy and then turns into something more. The guitar melodies take odd turns and slides that produce very interesting progressions. The vibrating vocal harmonies accompany the slightly odd but altogether wonderful spectrum of sound that the band produces. This album strikes a blazing trail from the Department of Eagles album In Ear Park from 2008 (Daniel Rossen's more personal songs), taking new territory, expanding beyond their past endeavors and in general making one hell of an album.