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Sale is one day only – Monday, November 30th, 2009.

posted by: chemalopez

Cortometraje: Presto

Puntuación: ♦♦♦♦◊

Pixar: dícese de lo excepcional, brillante. Una vez más, vuelven a conseguirlo. Y ahí te encuentras, una vez más también, con una sonrisa en la cara que dura poco más de cinco minutos. Suficiente. Absorbido por la historia, a salvo del abordaje capitaneado por los perjuicios “realistas” provenientes de esa parte cinefago-crítica de tu cerebro.

Cuidado del mínimo detalle – estético y técnico – de la gestualidad como vía de expresión de los sentimientos. Magníficos y conmovedores personajes, y poco más que decir. Los cortometrajes son luces de advertencia, al público, a la competencia, a los propios creativos, con las que Pixar indica además del rumbo, el siguiente destino de sus correrías.

Presto es una concatenación de desgracias – para el mago, claro está – en las que prima la acción sobre todo, y que bien recuerdan a los clásicos toma y daca de los ya casi extintos Looney Tunes de la Warner (versión light de los Rasca y Pica de Matt Groening). Una vez más, ni una sola línea de diálogo (¿para qué?), un final conciliador y un trasfondo con sofá, para que uno pueda sentarse a reflexionar cuando le parezca.

Melding the world of human beings and cartoon characters on the silver screen has been a horrendous and often disastrous task for filmmakers.

The biggest success and still the staple of this genre was the revolutionary 1988 film, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” The film showed that humans and toons could interact given a good script and an understanding of the toons themselves.

Before Roger Rabbit, there were some successes like 1964’s “Mary Poppins“, 1971’s “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and 1977’s “Pete’s Dragon“. After Roger Rabbit, these kinds of movies were giant bombs or quickly forgotten duds like 1992’s “Cool World“, 2000’s “Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle“, and 2001’s “Monkeybone“. Warner Bros. saw limited success with 1996’s “Space Jam” and saw the potential to bring the likes of “Bugs Bunny” and “Daffy Duck” back to the big screen in a giant way.

In “Looney Tunes: Back in Action“, we discover that Daffy Duck is being over-shadowed by the star power of his rival Bugs Bunny. The studio decides to make a movie without Daffy and fires him. Daffy is irate when studio executive Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman) is behind his dismissal. Daffy bumps into studio security officer DJ Drake (Brendan Fraser) who also seems to have been dismissed by the studio.

Upon arriving home, DJ and Daffy discover that DJ’s famous movie-star father (Timothy Dalton) has been kidnapped. It turns out DJ’s father had been moonlighting as a secret agent and had stumbled upon the whereabouts of the mysterious gem, The Blue Monkey. It’s up to Daffy and DJ to secure the gem before DJ’s father is killed by a maniac (Steve Martin). Meanwhile, Kate and Bugs seem to be in hot pursuit of DJ and Daffy with some news from the studio.

“Looney Tunes Back in Action” is clever, funny, delightful and hysterical.

The story of how all the characters get together is a little flat and the film is almost like an amusement park ride as we journey to different settings so that other toons can guest star. But if you love Looney Tunes then this film is sure to make you smile. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Unlike a lot of films from this genre, this film understands and welcomes what the toons are all about. They don’t give the toons complex emotions but just enough for us to understand why they are in our world.

The toons feel more real without damaging the iconic status that they are. I especially loved the film’s portrayal of Daffy Duck. He is by far the star of this movie. I loved how the film used the rivalry between Daffy and Bugs as a launching point to who these characters were in the film.

I also loved the performances of human beings as well, Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman and Steve Martin pulled off a lot of their interaction scenes without missing a beat. The interaction wasn’t stale or out of place but gelled very well.

The biggest compliment I would like to bestow would be to director Joe Dante. I have been a big fan of his films for a while now. But taking a difficult movie like this and delivering so much fun is genius.

This film is just pure chaotic fun. This is the best of the genre since Roger Rabbit hands down. Cheers, Joe.

4 out of 5

So Says the Soothsayer.

I’m glad some people got a kick out of last week’s list of Top Seven Worst Cartoon Ladies, because now it’s time for the sequel.

A solid female character in animation is hard to find.  If you are able to extract their likes and dislikes from their gender (they like shopping BECAUSE THEY’RE GIRLS!  They hate getting messy BECAUSE THEY’RE GIRLS!) you’re still stuck with having to make them look ‘cute’ or ’sexy’, and have a role beyond Love Interest or Nagging Psychobitch.  These seven characters all have a degree of depth and thoughtfulness in their creation.  Their qualities came first, and their gender second.

Let’s get rolling, shall we?

7.  Dora The Explorer:  Love or hate Dora, you have to admit that she is a pretty stellar example for young girls.  She’s bright, she’s friendly, she’s willing to scrape her knees and get dirty, and she sticks to her guns in the face of adversity.  And by adversity I mean cunning foxes who steal her monkey’s sandwiches, or whatever.  I put Dora at seventh on this list because her redesign to appeal to an ‘older’ crowd makes me cry tears of rage.  She went from clever adventurer to mall-haunting pre-teen overnight.  Oh, Dora of yore!  How I miss thee!

Dora, before and after. Now she solves mysteries, like Which Boy Is The Cutest Boy?

6.  Gretchen and Spinelli from Recess:  Recess is a show that centers around schoolyard stereotypes.  In the main cast, we have the Fat Sensitive Kid, the Mischievous Kid, the Smart Kid, the Tough Kid, the Sporty Kid, and the Awkward Wimpy Kid Who Is Only Occasionally Useful.  The charm of a show like Recess is that the kids realize their labels, and regard them with a resigned sort of malice.  I’ve picked Gretchen and Spinelli out here because really, out of those main cast members I’ve mentioned, which are the girls?  Guesses?  Guesses?  Gretchen and Spinelli were created as schoolyard archetypes, not as schoolgirl archetypes, and that I can appreciate.

It's a veritable Who's Who of unfair labeling!

5.  Kim Possible:  Much like an aged version of a Powerpuff Girl, Kim Possible saves the world before curfew, trying to do her homework and get a date along the way.  Kim is in every way a girl’s girl.  She idolizes a clothing chain.  She gets embarrassed in front of boys.  She hates her little brothers and uses the Puppydog Pout to get something she wants.  The reason I’m including her on this list is that Kim likes what she likes…because she likes it.  Too often animators will create a character that is supposed to exemplify a Successful Modern Woman.  She’s smart!  She’s capable!  She owns her feminity, and yet, she is completely defined by societal expectations and all of the males around her.  Kim defines herself, and while she has the normal teenage tendency to worry about what other’s think of her, it doesn’t shape her life.

You guys, this plays on the Disney channel at 10:30 PST. Why haven't you watched this, you guys?

4.  Gadget from Rescue Rangers:  Some…times!  Some…crimes!  Go slipping through the cracks, but these…two!  Gum…shoes!  Are picking up the slack, there’s no case too big, no case too small!  If you need help just call…Gadget, apparently.  Rescue Rangers centers around some rodents who solve mysteries.  It’s pretty simple.  The titular characters receive most of the credit, serious Chip and goofy Dale, but every kid who watches that show knows that Gadget is the real hero.  It’s always Gadget who makes the machines that get them out of trouble, Gadget who sees through the scam, Gadget who crafts the master plan to solve the crime.  And you know what’s appealing about Gadget?  They don’t try to hide her brilliance behind a (heh heh) mousey facade.  She is just a genius.  No glasses.  No gimmick.  No social awkwardness.  All of the things that are typically associated with the smart girl are conspicuously absent, and they let her play the hero just as much as the boys do, even if the show is named after them.  It’s a nice change of pace.

Aaugh, Gadget. Why does Google have so many fanarts of you having sex with power tools??

3.  Gosalyn from Darkwing Duck:  Gosalyn, put simply, is a kid.  She’s not a smart kid, or a dumb kid, or an athletic kid, or a sensitive kid, or a tough kid, or a wimpy kid.  She’s just a kid who lives with her dad, who happens to be a Bruce Wayne-esque fly-by-night  crimefighter.  Sometimes she worries about him, sometimes she wants to join in on the fun, but at the end of the day, she’s just…well.  She’s a kid.  The simplicity of her character without relying on overused tropes is what gets Gosalyn on my list.  It’s not easy to craft a character that doesn’t rely on a stereotype that we are already familiar with, while still making her appealing and instantly familiar.  She could ride in my sidecar anyday.

Why is it always ducks? What does Disney have with ducks? People don't even like ducks that much.

2.  Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender:  I could take almost anyone from Avatar and point to them as a model for outstanding character development, but Azula is here for a very specific reason: she is a crazy bitch.  She is a crazy bitch with fire powers and mommy issues, and she will eff you up the a, if you so much as look at her funny when she’s got her crazy hat on.  I’m a big fan of villains.  It’s tough to make a villain who doesn’t seem like a moustache-twirling Dick Dastardly or a hulking inferno of unspecified fury.  Villains need motivations too, you guys!  Something has to make them interesting, and worth our time.  With lady villains, it is almost always sexuality.  She’s evil!  What else is evil?  Uhh, sex?  Yeah.  Sex is evil.  So let’s make her very sexy and she can even make untoward advances at the disinterested protagonist!  Sounds like a plan.  Gladly, Azula doesn’t rely on these things to make her a stellar baddie.  From the start of the series, her intentions are clear.  She’s not evil, necessarily.  She just went round the bend several years ago, and never came back.  Good for her.

She will grind your bones up and wear the powder on her face like a fine foundation. AWESOME.

1.  My number one choice for awesome lady cartoon comes from a classic conundrum: how to make girls funny.  Sometimes they just aren’t, and that’s okay.  The same things that are hilarious coming from a man may not induce the same belly-laughs from a chick.  Some female comedians have resorted to giving up their girliness to get a more masculine sense of humor, but I don’t think that’s necessary.  A gal can be funny in a skirt.  A purple skirt.  With a yellow sweater, and bows on her ears:

I think I still have a sweater like that.

Babs Bunny was created as one of the two main characters of the Warner Brothers’ hit, Tiny Toons.  The animators noticed a significant underrepresentation of ladies in the original Looney Tunes, and so when its ’sequel’ began, they decide to split the character of Bugs Bunny into two halves.  The male half, Buster Bunny, contains all of Bugs’ sly charisma and mischievous smooth-talking mannerisms.  The female half, Babs, got all the screwball humor, and I couldn’t be happier about that.  Babs is a tornado of comedy, constantly lampooning the other characters in the show, doing spot-on impressions of pop-culture icons, or just inserting a quick, 1930’s era one-liner into the mix.  Unlike her counterpart, the loathable Lola Bunny, Babs can go toe to toe with her male companions and come out with the top joke.  She’s zany, over-the-top, and endlessly appealing.

All while wearing a skirt.  Who’d-a thunk it?

I went to another Ohio State University show this night, with the unimaginative title of Resident and Visiting Artists Dance Concert.  But there’s something to be said for a title that just tells you what it is in a few words, unfettered by flourishes trying to express some idea.  Unfortunately I was running late (not a surprise) so I missed getting into the theatre for the first piece and had to watch through a door window.  As a result of my tardiness, I also did not get a program, so as I did with the show earlier, I am going into this review with no information, no ideas, and no titles to clue me in on anything.  But there’s something to be said for that too…the idea of viewing a dance with no expectations (literally).  So it looks like I’m going to have to make up my own titles, although my reactions are of course always my own, and you better believe I believe that we are all entitled to that.  Could renaming the dances for my own purposes be potentially offensive to their respective choreographers?  Maybe…maybe not…it’s not really my problem.

I won’t review every piece (C-bus people should really go see the show on their own…it’s a really good show), just a few highlights of the group numbers to entice the imagination.  The first piece I saw through the window looked really interesting…mathematical formations, Earthy-brown costumes and lots of prayerish gesturing.  And prayer beads.  I shall call it, Goddess Hymn.  Svetlana was actually in the piece so I was mad at myself for missing the direct experience, but she had significant phrases stage left, which was the only side I could see so the glass was half full.  From what I could tell, all of the dancers were female (like that’s a surprise), but the music had soothing female vocals as well.  It was very much a “dance,” with codified movement like arabesque turns, chaînés and grand battements, and yet it was structured in such a way that gave it a real spirituality.  I don’t know if it was specific to any religion, but it felt specific to the sensations of spirituality.  I am not religious (when you have a Catholic father and a Buddhist mother, the last thing you want is more religion!), but I do consider myself somewhat spiritual.  If anything, I say yay Daoism…go with the flow and don’t ask questions because those who know the Dao don’t actually know it.  But the point is, when I see something in nature that pleases me, like a beautiful starscape or a simple oak tree, a certain feeling of spirituality is invoked because I believe those things to be spiritual, and that was something I felt a twinge of while watching this dance.

The piece right after it…er, I think…was Into the Æther (I’ve always wanted to use that symbol), and it was painted in varying shades of cool blues and set to a heinous violin soundtrack.  Like sustained, dissident notes that reminded me of one of my worst fears, which is dying in the vacuum of space.  I’ve never had nightmares of drowning or being burned alive, but somehow the image of my body floating in space is something I’ve unpleasantly dreamt of and fear for no logical reason (as if, I would ever go into space!).  Of course, the music is genius depending on who you are, but we all know me.  At the very least, the music was used effectively.  This piece had a lot of dancers doing some very turbulent and aggressive movement, synching in and out and constantly changing tempo.  This is why I was really getting the image of the sky, because to me, the sky is something scattered, especially as you get further away from Earth, oxygen and other gases become increasingly diffuse.  And yet the sky has this awesome power, arguably the most formidable influence on Earth, but it is a power that can neither be sustained nor harnesses.  It can only conglomerate and dissipate, with no will of its own.  At one point the dancers are following each other in a sinuous line like a current of air, following the same path but not in the same way, and another moment they’re all twitching before crystallizing into a certain pose, like snowflakes, and then evaporating into shapeless vapor.  It was all very atmospheric to me and the creative distance to which one is willing to go in modern dance has to be dependent upon how far into the exosphere one’s imagination goes…too bad neither distance is measurable.  It certainly gives new meaning to the phrase “head in the clouds.”

Me?  I like it terrestrial, with my feet firmly planted on mother Earth.  Hence, simple interpretations and a devout love for ballet.  And there was a touch of that, in a screwball, theatrical staging of a work set to Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals.  Despite a nefarious decision to exclude the Aquarium movement (which I can only assume is a personal attack on my integrity), this was the action-packed and comical Looney Tunes performance to the classically romantic music.  I’m not kidding…there was a classic “search” scene, complete with exaggeratedly cautious steps and binoculars, a scene with dynamite, and a Scooby-Doo style chase for the finale.  But it wasn’t just people portraying animals, because there was a turning of the tables as well because most of the characters were actually human.  So it was really like a commentary on the animalistic characteristics of people…or, people, portraying animals, pretending to be people.  You’ll have to choose your own adventure I’m afraid.  With Aquarium absent, Fossils was my favorite musically, and the premise for it was a crotchety ballet teacher, who I shall call Madame Jelena Danyushka Baraksanova, and she basically dictates a class, without words in her old school way.  Of course The Swan was included, and paid tribute to Fokine’s Dying Swan, but with the dancer *ahem* as a child, who can barely walk on pointe, and has epic stage fright, which can only be resolved by a colossal, rainbow colored lollipop.  By the end she does evolve into the more familiar swan, complete with bourées and undulating arms, but instead of the tragic end where the swan settles into that pose on the floor we all know, laying her head to rest with her final breath to trickling piano notes, this swan gets her lollipop, and we are treated to the image of an undulating tongue.  I’ve never seen a tongue choreographed into a piece before, but there’s certainly a first for everything.  P.S. Tortoises will have you laughing until you can’t breathe.

Anyway it was a fantastic show and C-bussers have one last chance to see it on Saturday, November 21^st, 8pm at Sullivant Hall.  And speaking of Sullivant Hall, that building needs to get its act together.  Apparently the swan was even questionable to dance for fears that the ill-supported stage would collapse under the concentrated weight of a dancer on pointe.  First of all, that’s one of the funniest images I could ever think of (up there with a mitten exploding because a cricket set one foot in it when there were already too many animals inside) and second, that stage is ridiculous.  Why it was ever built that way, and why it apparently has no support underneath is beyond me.

Taylor has put up with my feminist outrage for a long time.  When we sit down to watch a television show at the end of a hard day, it’s almost tradition for me to see an ad and blurt something like, “Come on!  By using a woman they are insinuating that women are the only ones who are incapable of taking care of themselves without additional security!”  And Taylor raises his eyebrows a little bit and agrees with me when I press him about it.

I can be a little out of control, it’s true.

My feminist rage is at its strongest when watching cartoons.  It’s a fact: most all of the coolest cartoon characters are men.  The boys are allowed to have complex motivations and badass fight scenes.  They typically get the best jokes and tend to be the main characters.  The women’s motivations tend to be “SHE IS A LADY.  THAT IS WHAT LADIES DO,” and their jokes are limited to nagging  and histrionics.

It’s true that some characters are worse than others, though.  For your pleasure (and to give Taylor’s ears a break) here are the Seven Worst Female Cartoon Characters, rated in order of how much they conform to an unhealthy and unnecessary stereotype.  You may note that I’ve left out the classics – Betty Boop, Disney Princesses…I feel like these characters, sexist though they are, are the product of their times.  But now we have decided we are progressive!  Our entertainment features women who can rassle!  Women who know math!  So our modern cartoons are devoid of girls who rely on sexuality or bitterness, right?

Ha.

Are you ready to get your Righteous Indignation on?

7.  Candace from Phineas and Ferb:  I like Phineas and Ferb.  The show centers around two young boys who live each day of their summer vacation to the fullest, often concocting wild and impressive schemes to get what they want.  They are good natured and fun loving.  Their older sister, Candace, is not.  Candace likes boys and makeup and being a star, and hates fun and things that are messy.  She often plays the role of the villain in the cartoon, but her motivations are completely transparent.  It’s as though the creators decided she was A Big Sister and left it at that.  Boo, Candace.  Booo.

She is the very spirit of fun and mischief!

6.  Roxanne from A Goofy Movie:  What do we know about Roxanne from A Goofy Movie?  The main  character, Max, loves her and wants to impress her.  Why?  Because she’s hot, of course!  And she like…uh.  I guess we don’t really know what she likes.  But she’s very….oh.  I guess we don’t really know her personal qualities either.  Well, we KNOW her name is Roxanne, and that she is HOT!  And that’s enough for her to be a truly compelling character, right?  Right?  You guys?

She has a sparkling uh...personality?

5.  Amy Rose from Sonic The Hedgehog:  When you have a cartoon and video game franchise centered around a blue hedgehog, the natural choice for his counterpart is a pink hedgehog.  It is the law of the wild.  Amy Rose exists to chase Sonic with large hearts in her eyes, wielding a hammer that she uses to stun him into submission.  When she isn’t chasing him, she is nagging him to ‘be more sensitive’ or ’slow down and do things with her’.  Flash forward twenty years and he will be an overweight husband in a dead-end job, and she will be a hot wife that only wants him to do the dishes, and harps on him to eat a salad now and again.  Stay in school, girls!

Don't showcha your chocha, Amy!

4.  Jean Grey from X-Men Evolution:  Okay.  I’m going to catch a lot of flak for this one, because lots of people like Jean Grey, but her X-Men Evolution iteration is…maybe a little less than impressive.  In this era, Jean is a high school student.  She is gorgeous, limber, the most popular girl in school, gets straight A’s, and has fantastic telekinetic and telepathic powers to boot!  All this besides the undying love of most of the male characters.  So, here’s what I don’t like about Jean: she is entirely focused on what others think of her.  From the outside, this sounds like a solid motivation for a character, but Jean, in the true tradition of dim female characters, relies entirely on the males around her to define herself.  Is she dating the football jock or sensitive Scott Summers?  Is she being kidnapped by Magneto, or are her Phoenix powers being squelched by ultra powerful psychic Charles Xavier?  Jean is a grievous cartoon stereotype offender because she purports to be a Modern Woman – smart and powerful, but ultimately she relies on the men in her life to boost her esteem and supply her opinion.

Don't be afraid, Jean! Somewhere out there...somewhere, there is a shirt that will cover your midriff.

3.  Raven from Teen Titans:  In the bold tradition of Jean Grey, Raven is a heroine who seems quite heroic until you take into account who pulls her strings.  She is the daughter of vicious demon Trigon, which has imbued her with impressive magic.  The magic controls her more than she controls it, and when Trigon comes to earth, he promptly subjugates her to his whim.  A great story would be if Raven found her courage and her strength and rose up to slay her father, freeing herself and gaining control over her power.  Buuuuut Robin the Boy Wonder does it for her, and she is so pleased to be saved it establishes her trust in humanity.  Yay, Robin!  You’ve finally showed us all that we don’t need to save ourselves, as long as we can go from one male protector to another.  Did I mention she does all this in a tight-fitting legless leotard?

Dig the belt, Raven! But I think you...did you forget to put something on this morning? Starts with a P? Ends with an 'Ants'?

2.  Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon – Oookay.  I know Tuxedo Mask is a dude.  I’ve been focusing mostly on horrible female stereotypes, but male stereotypes exist as well.  Tuxedo Mask is the Edward of Sailor Moon.  He is a preteen girl’s ultimate fantasy.  That bratty guy at school that causes her so much grief secretly loves her for no apparent reason!  And what’s more than that, he is secretly a super hero!  He always shows up at the right moment to save her from evil amid a show of bubbles and delicate rose petals.  What does he like?  What are his hopes and dreams?  What are his fears?  It’s a mystery.  After all, Tuxedo Mask doesn’t need to be a real person, as long as he loves me.  Sob sob sob.

Ohh, Tuxedo Mask! Let me stare into your eyes for another four hours!

1.  I have reserved the number one spot for a cartoon creation that truly kindles the flames of my red-hot ire.  I speak, of course, of The Ruiner.  The Great Hair-Flipper, the Bunny-Smoocher, whose vapid stare and saxophone-stoked entry music sends me into paroxysms of rage.

I speak, of course, of Lola Bunny.

You guys remember the movie Space Jam.  Aliens try to take over the Looney Tunes, and they challenge them to a basketball game.  To tip their hand, the Tunes snag Michael Jordan.  Hilarity ensues.  When it turns out they don’t know how to play basketball at all, Michael Jordan says, in desperation, “Hasn’t anybody here ever played basketball?”

You guys.

Lola Bunny has:

I feel like that is all I really need to say about Lola Bunny.

Tune in next Monday when I post my picks for Top Seven Awesomest Cartoon Ladies!

One of my pleasures in my life is pointing out the universally accepted concepts that surprisingly no one ever questions. The majority of children’s animated TV shows and movies involve talking animals. We have simply accepted this as “make believe”. Okay. But what I can’t accept is that fact there is no explanation as to how the animals gained the ability to talk.

Was it a magic spell? Extreme intelligence? Possession? And did the same thing that made the cast of the Lion King able to speak also enable the cast of Looney Tunes to speak as well? And sometimes animals interact through speech with humans like it’s no big deal. If I found a talking animal I would definitely exploit it for all it’s worth.

There has to be a physical explanation for this. But I just can’t see it. Even if an animal had the intelligence to speak, most animals don’t have the physical features necessary to do so. For example, how could a cat say the word “brother” since cats don’t really have lips? It would sound like “rother”.

Also, the other hole I have found in this concept of talking animals is that their voices would sound nothing like they do on Disney movies. By doing a quick search on “talking cat” on YouTube, I can watch a cat saying “I love you” but it sounds more like “rye row yoo-oo-ow”. And its voice has the same sound and tone as when a cat meows. It doesn’t sound like a man or woman’s voice.

Life can be disappointing sometimes.

This review was published this week in CityBeat. 

Tyondai Braxton

Central Market
(Warp)
*8.5*

Goes well with: Igor Stravinsky, Mr. Bungle, Looney Tunes

A worthy market not only carries a selection of functional sundries but also an array of candies and trinkets. And Central Market is quite worthy, offering a fusion of rock and classical accented with pitch-bent vocals, whistling, kazoo and even fireworks.

Braxton, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist, contributes vocals and guitar to the post-rock outfit Battles and builds loops painted with effects in solo performances. Central Market, his first solo album in seven years, is his most ambitious statement yet. With the help of the Wordless Music Orchestra, a genre-bending ensemble that has collaborated with the likes of Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood, Braxton captures the angular forms of 20th-century composers like Igor Stravinsky.

But while Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” feels dark, Central Market overflows with color. Amid the album’s off-meter grooves, dainty interludes and explosive climaxes, many surprises abound—the flute and lighthearted whistling of opener “Opening Bell,” the wacky vocal stabs and swooping strings of the 10-minute centerpiece “Platinum Rows” and the feverish electronics of finale “Dead Strings.”

By bringing purpose to each bit of grandiloquence, Braxton has written a delightful album with staying power.

I finally got that Arceus that I’ve been wanting for like ever. Well more like since I heard it was coming out and what it can do on Heart Gold and Soul Silver. So yay got it now. Now I can create my own pokemon….on Heart Gold and Soul Silver. So that was fun. Had to do the normal stuff around the apartment which was no fun. Then I found out that there was a Looney Tunes Marathon on Cartoon Network. So I spent the rest of that time watching it. Then by the time that was over I remembered that the Cowboys were playing the Packers. Well as I expected the Cowboys blew it. There is only one thing I can truly expect from the Cowboys and that’s disappointment. This was the one time I needed them to not blow it. Now I’m going to have to hear this guy talking about it for a whole week. It’s one reason why I got the Arceus. To try to side track him. I also tried to do a work out, but I don’t know what happened. It was just hard to do anything. So I stopped and am taking a break tonight. So yeah that’s all that happened there. Guess that means it’s the Squiby time. So today’s video is the 1st opening for the new Full Metal Alchemist out. It’s Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. Basically it’s a new telling of the story. Different reasonings behind different things. I only saw the first episode and I found it interesting. I really need to start watching it, but I get side tracked with work and stuff. The song is called Again by Yui. Today’s tip is while working with money it is probably a good idea to not be absent minded. Especially while working at a bank.

The third post this weekend isn’t exactly comics, but it’s worth TiVoing. Cartoon Network is devoting an hour of its abysmal day-time to something worth while again.

In the mean time, enjoy this:

One of the legendary Carl Stalling/Raymond Scott collaborations appeared in this wartime classic…instilled in our youthful sub-conscious, our eyes & ears fixated by Saturday morning television, circa early 60’s. We were introduced to many great works of classical, jazz and pop music this way, the music videos of my childhood, along with the subliminal message noting how music “affects the chicks”, the political message of doing one’s war duty, and the dependence on war profits by corporations at “Flockheed”…the Porky Pig final scene seems strange in that context…maybe his eggs were the corporate taxes, or exemptions, or eggs to lobbyists. I doubt we noticed.

Purchase the legendary composition “Powerhouse”, by the Raymond Scott Quintet, from our 78 RPM catalog.

Time to go a little Looney here.  This week’s model is Marvin the Martian from modeler BazookaJo.  It’s a 15″ model that can be built with 2 different right hands – with or without pistol.  Isn’t it lovely?  Head over to BazookaJo’s for the model and instructions.

a test to fill up google with salomon resler. what can i do with the name salomon resler on google? blogged a fake story press release about salomon resler and yet googling salomon resler does not bring up wordpress on the first page. it used to. what happened to wordpress? who are they owned by? google right? wait? what?

and then i twittered the link which got me a couple of things on first page. nice.

had him open up a friendfeed account, of which i cannot find on google even with the search of salomon resler friendfeed. (although i see know that the url is saloresler instead of salomonresler. nope, that doesnt matter either.) and had him tag his name salomon resler in some of his youtube videos. that didnt help. who is youtube owned by? google right? hmmmm… oh…. and thats right, back to no help. its been 4 or so days. whats up with that? all of my trick sites no longer working? he has a linkedin (no help) and facebook (ahh yes… help! or what my generation would call hope!) {*side note, url does not include name salomon resler}. he has a wordpress (no hope.)  had a wordpress and a blogger (hope) account. a flickr (salomonresler, no hope: saloresler, hope). even a hi5 (salomonresler, no hope: saloresler, hope!) account which you can also find page 1 if you google salo resler (helpfully hope or hopefully help!). yet none of these even google on the first 2 pages of a google search of salomon resler. strange indeed so.

and it used to be so easy. linkedin? friendfeed? facebook? whats wrong here? not even showing up at all with a google search of salomon resler? what does it take to social spread a name online? can we get a ranking for salomon resler? i guess not.

and for the record, he definately ranks in high status. easily and without thought.

on yet another side note, he did create a behance (salomonresler, no hope: saloresler, hope) profile of which one of his videos was featured front page and it must be said that this is a nifty site indeed. perfect for creative samples such as his which he could not achieve via wordpress or blogger, frustratingly so. still a small network one of which will hopefully grow. tell me this guy doesnt know what he’s doing. oh he knows.

this could be a case of split identity (salomon resler vs salo resler). which is true in his case, as he is a gemini (boy, is he a gemini). only the proper changes and adjustments will tell. stay tuned.

this is social media genius right here from what i know. i challenge you to look for better. have i mentioned that i am looking for bloggers to contribute to this blog?

My parents hate South Park. I think a lot of it is a generation gap problem. Yes its offensive, I know, but a lot of the things our parents watch are also offensive. A lot of it might have to do with the cartoons they grew up with. Looney Tunes never pushed the limits and it was just as offensive, if not worse, than South Park. The older cartoons were just racist, sexist, and bias towards certain groups of people. They openly made fun of different cultures and got away with it. South Park bring awareness to social issues, without taking a side in most cases, and doesn’t offend cultures. A lot of these perceptions about the show come form people who have never watched it.  Yeah, I’m aware of the language on the show and the sexual references and on and on. The big point though is if you watch the program with an open mind instead of being scared off by “dirty” words, then you’ll find it’s one of the smarter shows on television.

None of my peers really need to hear this because we’ve now grown up watching the show and we’ve all made references back to it. everything from “Cheesy Poofs” to “They took our jobs!” have become huge pieces of our pop culture and it makes us laugh plenty, but what sets the creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, aside from other comedy writers in their category – is their message. While it’s sometimes subtle and told through an analogy, every episode of South Park has a point. No one is safe from their territory either: Christianity, Scientology, Biker Gangs, High School Musical, Pokemon, The Election, and everything else you can possibly imagine. They use satire to make you think about these topics without directly bashing them or attacking people’s values.

You can watch any episode over all thirteen seasons online. If you have never watched the show I can’t push you hard enough to at least give it a try. It will probably offend you if you’re one of the people I’m directing this at who have never watched the show. Watch it with an open mind and try to appreciate it for what it is – satire. If you can’t comprehend this then you shouldn’t watch TV at all and you should start reading books more often so maybe someday you’ll be able to enjoy the art of subtlety.

I suppose the upside to this link, for everyone who already watches the show, is if you love it and you want to relive some of the classics without buying the DVDs – you now have access to them all. Here’s a list of some of the “swings they’ve taken recently”

1. Cartman tries to change the word “faggot” to mean annoying people who ride Harley’s
2. Kanye West can’t figure out why he’s a “Gay Fish” and his ego gets the best of him
3. Cartman wants in on the pirate crisis in Somalia
4. Butters tries his best at prostitution
5. The boys start a wrestling federation and battle with a fanatic of the real sport
6. A pinewood derby match gives us first contact
7. The economy is angered and we must console it

This is all from the current season, and it’s just a few issues amongst lots of other topics. Already offended? Good. Maybe that’s what you need. We all need to drift out of our comfort zones here and there. How do we expect to grow individually if we don’t hear the opinions of others. Being blind to the other side doesn’t make your side stronger. ignorance is less than bliss and it’s time you all did something about it. Am I saying get your news from South Park? Lord no! I’m saying it will help you see things for what they are – comedy. Nothing is so serious that we can’t look back on it and laugh. It’s the best medicine for a reason. Give it a chance, remove your expectations and just embrace it for what it is. I’m not calling South Park the final destination but it can be an important stepping stone for you as an individual – to fuel your character and to learn whats really important. Well, in this case, which I think is equally as important, it can teach you that some of the things we dwell on aren’t quite as important as we make them seem.

in primul rand un sincer “la multi ani!” tuturor sarbatoritilor de duminica. la multi ani si mie, sa traiesc! ) si cadou de ziua onomastica un desen animat. unul dintre favoritele mele, cocosul foghorn leghorn. enjoy;)

Vrajitoarea din desenele cu Bugs Bunny :p

Such is my relationship with Seitokai no Ichizon.

Were it not for one particular scene that gave me a sense of false hope, I’d have given up on Seitokai after the first episode. Said scene is shown below:

They’re obviously rifting on the old “Rabbit Season, Duck Season” routine you’ve seen in many Looney Tunes cartoons. Just in case you’re some sort of heathen monkey that’s never seen said scene, here it is so you can cleanse yourself before the Cartoon Inquisition burns you at the stake:

That little homage to Looney Tunes gave me hope that Seitokai would be smarter than advertised. I knew it was going to be a Family Guy-styled “throw references out at you and hope you laugh because it’s familiar” mess of a show, but I gave it a chance. I kind of liked Lucky Star, and it was driven mostly by “OMG LOOK AT THAT DO YOU REMEMBER THAT” humor, so I was hoping Seitokai would be a similar amusing diversion.

Instead, aside from the above scene, the series has been little more than torture. Apparently the series is tossing around references and stuff, but most of these references go right past me, probably because I didn’t watch whatever series they’re rifting. The latest episode started with what I’m assuming is a parody of Maria-sama ga Miteru. I’m not assuming that they’re referencing Maria-sama, I’m assuming that it’s supposed to be a parody. The reason why I’m not exactly sure it’s a joke is because I can’t tell the difference between this scene and a scene from Maria-sama.

This is the main problem with Family Guy’s “parodies” as well. More often than not, all they do is take a scene directly from the movie/tv show/whatever and replace one of the characters with Stewie or Peter or Brian or that pedophile dude who wants in Chris’ pants. Those Star Wars episodes? The only time they differ from the actual movie is when they do something idiotic like insert a Deal or No Deal reference. Otherwise, apparently we’re supposed to be amused by the cast reenacting scenes, word for word, from the movie. This isn’t humor, this is a bad local theater troupe put in animated form.

Seitokai is suffering from the same problem. There’s a scene in the latest episode that seems like it’s taken straight from Strike Witches. As far as I can tell there’s no attempt to make this scene distinct from an actual Strike Witches scene other than the fact that the characters have been recast. So we’re supposed to find it funny when A is replaced with B when A = B? Maybe that’s funny to someone with a PhD in Mathematics, but it isn’t funny to me and it shouldn’t be funny to anyone else. It’s just damn lazy.

Despite this laziness, I’ve watched all four episodes released thus far. I’m holding out some hope that Seitokai’s point of reference reaches beyond “let’s reference crappy recent anime,” and I’m doing so because there’s a glimmer of pleasure amiss the torrents of pain. And slowly and surely I’m starting to forget the difference between which is pleasurable and which is painful.