Some Say Yarn Barn I Say Yawn, Bore
Rating: 2 Trees
Don’t Let It All Unravel, directed by Sara Jex is an animation that uses yarn. It depicts the world becoming unraveled, and many of the living things on it. While I commend the idea, the concept and time it must have taken, it was rather boring. I found that it needed more work, and was more like a trial run for a bigger project.
Rating: 2 Trees
Cyren, directed by Tom Mead, is a traditional animated short, that explores a large layered city that is based upon hierarchy, called Cyren. The backgrounds used for large pans were well illustrated and showed a high level of skill. However, the characters lacked the same detail and felt flat against the spacious world created. The story seemed rushed and tacked on as a last minute idea. This piece still needed some work done, but the animators can use this as a learning experience toward their next project which I’ll keep an eye out for.
Rating: 2 Trees
What’s Fufu?, Directed by Greg Villalobos, is an animated short that looks at the cultural bonds that we are perceived to have due to ones skin color. The female narration is soft and warm caressing your ears to listen attentively to the situation. As a young black nigerian teenager who has been raised by white parents, she explores the hurdles that she has and must continue to face. She feels an important piece of herself, her heritage, has been lost and she is unable to recover it. While the animation was good, the voice talent is why you will want to watch this.
Rating: 2 Trees
It, God animated by Michael Anders was a rather odd animation. A man falls from the sky, breaking into many pieces. However he survives and while collecting the pieces for his tattered body, he discovers a little creature, god. Anders uses this animation as an attack on established religion, targeting the christian church by stating in narration that “God and I visited a place we have both never been before….Church”. Some will view this film as a commentary on the corruption found in religion, while others will find it full of hate and stereotypical conclusions. The animation is gritty, and the narration much like poetry. It is in the style, that despite what your religious views are, you will find this to be well done.
Rating 2 Trees
Siu Siu directed by Matthew Cooper is a short animation, created using mix media. It follows the tenants of a large apartment complex and the taking over of one mans body by a moth-like creature. While I was unable to follow or understand the plot, I found the animation to be intriguing and I continued to watch. The shots containing the apartment, offered a view of the many tenants and a little bit of insight into their possible personalities. There are a few scenes where the animation stands alone as amazing, but without being unable to comprehend the meaning, the film is easily lost amongst others in the McLaren collection. However the scenes that stand out, offer hope that future projects from this director will bare more fruit.
Rating: 2 Trees
Pecatum Parvum is a short mixed media animation directed by Asya Lukin, that looks at the Russian poet Daniil Kharms. The short is spilt into two sections one of which uses many different materials, while the other is made of clay. I am unaware of the poet’s work and I felt like that cost me a great deal. Even though I didn’t completely understand the meaning of the short, the claymation was well done. The characters movements and facial expressions were similar to that of expressionist paintings, depicting on the outside, the inner psychological issues. As impressed as I was with the claymation it outclassed the sections created of different materials. While the materials used in the mixed media were interesting, the characters and motion was stiff and forgettable. I saw this more as a stepping stone to greater things.
Rating: 2 Trees
The Gorillaz are a alternative band that has become well known through out the world only in the last few years. The band has pushed the envelope as to what a commercially viable band can sound and look like. Many have never seen the faces of the band members, but that of cartoon characters, that have appeared on CD covers and in videos. Even though some of the musicians have changed, their animated characters remain, so that in a sense the animated characters are more the band that the people behind it. It is with this group, shrouded in mystery, that many have became intrigued wanting to know more about the animation process, the creators and where their creativity explodes from.
In the documentary Bananas Directed by Ceri Levy, we are introduced to the masterminds behind Gorillaz Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn. It is through following them that the process for creating the band and the animated characters that proceeded are suppose to come to light. The Documentary starts from the formation of the idea and continues through to their MTV Music award show in 2001. The viewer is to see an array of musicians who assist, shorts about the animation, and how Gorillaz really works. At least thats how it should be.
It appears that some documentaries become overshadowed by their subject matter and Bananas does just that. I was excited upon entering to see this, but left disappointed. Where had this documentary gone wrong? Well, just about everywhere. This is not a well put together documentary and comes across as more of a collection of footage from a band friend than by a director seeking to offer insight. The creators are reduced to fart jokes, appearing unintelligent and incapable of the tasks they are noted for . Are they funny? Yes. However, this is not a comedy, it is a documentary and should attempt to document something. The animations appear to be a collection of already commercially available material thrown into cover bad editing. Anyone can hold a camera and capture footage, but its in what way one makes the footage become relative to the viewer, that distinguishes the masters from the amateurs. This documentary is boring and plain in the presence of an entity that imbues the essence of fun and experimental.
The Color Red is Dull
Ratings: 2 Trees
Directed by Trygve Allister Diesen
There are actions that are so hideous and inhumane that they should compel all of mankind to rally against these travesties to seek justice. In the story Red (an adaptation of a book by Jack Ketchum), we are introduced to the team of Ludlow and Red. Red is not only Ludlow’s best friend but also, as the saying, mans best friend, a dog. Ludlow, played by Brian Cox, takes Red out fishing, but their recreational time is interrupted by teens, one of which is carrying a large shot gun. Danny, played by Noel Fisher, who heads the group of misfits, taunts Ludlow, but as he resists, a shot is fired that will further deepen the wounds that have haunted Ludlow many years. What fallows, are questions of how strong bonds are, and to what extent one will take to reach justice when everything stands in the way.
While the notions Red attempts to explore are intriguing, it fails to explore them in a way that is convincing, being plagued by poor dialogue, explanations, and cinematography. At times the dialogue was to much, seeming rather, taken directly from the book, than being rewritten to fit the visual transformation. Real people do not talk this way. Further, the deep relationship between Red and Ludlow, is not well established, leaving the actions taken in question. Scenes were bland and items such as the bloody paw prints on his shirt, felt to placed and greatly deterred me from being drawn into the situation. I felt that, due to the nature of events that occur,I should care, but I couldn’t. I was bored, but maybe my mother, while flipping through the television channels one day, will happen upon the Hallmark Channel and will find this endearing.
