Weekly Mishmash: March 2-8
A very Asian week at Chez Scrubbles:
Various - Cafe Apres-midi Meets Disney. A surprise midweek package from Amazon.com contained this — a gift from the fabulous Julie, who shares my interest in pricey import CDs compiled by Toru Hashimoto. Created for a Japanese chain of coffee houses, Hashimoto cherry picks a blend of the mellow and obscure from the back catalogs of a variety of major labels. For this one he mines the Disney soundtrack library for gems both classic (who cannot love the Main Street Electrical Parade theme?) and obscure (I haven’t heard the Rescuers and Pete’s Dragon stuff in, oh, 29 years). The CD also contains some exquisite newer covers of Disney classics by Brazilian and Jazz artists. Sweet stuff — thanks, Julie!
Chan Is Missing (1982). A pioneering Asian-American indie film shot on location in San Francisco’s Chinatown got some airplay on the IFC channel this week. The budget’s low and the acting’s a bit iffy, but this mystery (actually something of an afterthought) did keep our attention all the way through. At times it plays like a documentary with all the overlapping conversations, and the black and white photography lends a gritty feel.
Mazes and Monsters (1982). A cautionary “role playing games are bad” made-for-TV movie notable for having a young and hammy Tom Hanks in a supporting role. I vaguely remember watching this when it was new, so eventually the shoddily produced DVD became a halfhearted Netflix rental. Too slow-moving to be great camp, the movie just kind of plods along like a preachy After School Special. Actually, Mazes and Monsters’s chief value today may lie in the several scenes shot at the World Trade Center for the story’s climax. Detailed shots of the towers’ lobby, elevators, observation deck and roof lend a poignancy the filmmakers never intended.
Project Runway season finale (Bravo). All I can say is — Jillian, baby, you wuz robbed!
Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997). A fascinating Japanese comedy that takes a while to get into, but eventually scores. Christopher and I loved it. The film follows the making of a live radio drama penned by a mousy woman who won a scriptwriting contest. As the broadcast unfolds at a deserted station in the middle of the night (why it takes place in the middle of the night is never explained), the egotistical lead actors decide to make changes to the script and various complications ensue. Although the frenetic dialogue can be hard to follow at times, the movie really pays off with several hilarious situations.
You and Me and Everyone We Know (2005). Miranda July’s indie hit is the very definition of “quirky,” and you have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy it — which I did. The characters are stylized but identifiable in a way that, say, the people in a Wes Anderson film could never be. They seemed like people in my own neighborhood (we have plenty of outwardly normal yet weird denizens in our ‘hood, I guess!).
Bunnies, Comic #3
A new Two Bunnies and a Duck installment has been published, and this time we see the appearance of a third character. Is it the duck? Check it out.
Imagineers and Crocodile Tears
I’m fascinated with former long-time Disney artist Kevin Kidney’s flickr photos — in particular this “before and after” gallery art of a boy at Disneyland. Notice that the corporate p.c. police deleted the boy’s pop gun and replaced his spear with a souvenir flag.
On a similar note, read this Re-Imagineering post on Disneyland’s troubling refurbishments for the “it’s a small world” ride. Not only are they messing up Mary Blair’s brilliant designs, they’re planning to completely change the original uplifting message of the entire ride! That makes my blood boil.
A Dopey Illustrator
Most high school kids struggle with trying to decide what kind of career they’ll have, but for me the decision was a no-brainer. The idea that someone could make a living at illustration took a strong hold of me as a teenager in the mid-’80s — I would page through various magazines and take note of names like Dave Calver, Anthony Russo, Brian Cronin and Brad Holland. Something about the irresistible allure of being creative while in the service of communicating ideas (all the while getting your work published in millions of magazines) made me think “I wanna do that.”
Twenty years on, I’d have to say that unfortunately I don’t consider myself a true illustrator like the men mentioned above. Nearly all of my work as a freelancer is in graphic design — and as an illustrator I honestly believe my work is merely a notch above adequate. But I’m hoping to change that! I just opened a Portfolios.com page which focuses exclusively on illustration. In assembling it, I’ve found a few nice works from the past that I almost forgot about. Like the one below — a Winter vacation piece made when I worked for The Arizona Republic:
Here’s hoping the page gets a few nibbles from potential clients.
Weekly Mishmash: February 24-March 1
Art School Confidential (2006). I had high hopes for this one, since I enjoyed Terry Zwygoff and Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World and the setting might echo my own college art school experience. It was a shade below okay, having some good observations amid a bunch of frustrating elements. I’ve encountered many teachers like the one portrayed by John Malkovich, a guy who’s deluded himself into thinking his triangle paintings are a thing of greatness. It seems the filmmakers didn’t know if this should be a romantic comedy, a farce, or a fright flick, so they mashed it all together into a muddle that wastes the talents of several fine actors (Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Angelica Huston, Jim Broadbent). The one art school scene in Ghost World — in which a student submits a tampon in a teacup to sculpture class — was far more worthwhile and a lot shorter. Heck, even Claire’s storyline from Six Feet Under fared better.
Steven Bach — Leni: The Life and Work of Leni Riefenstahl. Leni Riefenstahl was a complicated woman. This bio gets a bit unnecessarily savage at times, but then again maybe she deserved this treatment. The main impression that I get is that she was an cunning opportunist who slept her way into the business, made two brilliant films, then (unconvincingly) played dumb when confronted on her involvement with the Nazis. Despite the author’s agenda, it was a lively read which makes me want to check out Olympia.
Company (Great Performances, PBS). Having never seen this on stage (despite the cast album being tattooed on my brain), I was looking forward to this presentation of the 2006 Broadway revival, a.k.a. “the one where the actors play their own instruments.” This is a strange and dark mounting, at times deeply affecting, and I’m glad I saw it. The stiff choreography and tiny set are really weird. Not to mention the fact that actors play their own instruments. Raúl Esparza’s portrays Bobby as a much bigger cynic than I ever imagined (I pictured him as a carefree playboy type), and he’s excellent despite having a nasally singing voice. Still, I wish I could see this show as it was staged in 1970 with Jonathan Tunick’s groovy musical arrangements and Boris Aronson’s innovative set design. Someday …
Lust, Caution (2007). Ang Lee is an amazing, thought provoking filmmaker. Lust, Caution is a long but rewarding film with two excellent lead performances from Tony Leung and Wei Tang. The explicit sex scenes were what had everyone talking, but in this context they make a lot of sense since the characters are so repressed in their lives outside their trysting room. The film also had a good storyline and some lovely costumes worn by Tang and the affluent Chinese women she played mah jongg with. In many ways this movie recalled In the Mood for Love.
On the Beach (1959). TiVo’d off TCM. Talky and boring, and having the Pavlovian effect of making me want to kill someone each time I hear the melody of “Waltzing Matilda.”
Paul Simon — Still Crazy After All These Years. One of those albums that I associate with childhood, since my mom used to listen to this (along with Simon’s Greatest Hits Etc.) all the time while doing housework. I was prompted to download it off iTunes after seeing the Simon-dominated second episode of Saturday Night Live where he performed many of these tunes. It’s held up much better than other past Album of the Year Grammy award winners. I love the majestic sweep of the title track, and “My Little Town” with Art Garfunkel was another one I remember well. “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” counts as another highlight, although Simon’s “Huggy Bear in Starsky & Hutch” lyrics place it strictly in the year 1975. Mom’s gonna love it when I give her a CD-R of this.
Stop and Smell the Daisies
A combination of busyness and lack of fresh inspiration is preventing me from posting anything here. Sorry. I will be back on Sunday, but in the meantime enjoy this shot of the lovely African daisies growing in our back yard and alley:
Weekly Mishmash: February 17-23
Starting today, I’m going to do a little roundup of the movies, books, music and whatever else I’ve digested over the previous week. Here we go!
The African Queen (1951) Bogie and Kate, leeches and tsetse flies. This is one of those rare classic movies that I’d never seen before due to the fact that it’s always “there” and someday I’ll get around to it (the film equivalent of spring cleaning or flossing). What a wonderful film. In addition to having a lot of adventure and romance, John Huston and James Agee’s screenplay sparkles with the sort of smart and non-stylized dialogue rarely heard in films from that period.
Before the Music Dies (2006) A documentary that attacks the consolidation of America’s music and radio conglomerates and the focus group tested, mass audience pleasing pap they produce. This film made a lot of excellent points, but it honestly didn’t illuminate or tell me anything I didn’t already know. Despite the appearance of several heavy-wattage musicians (Erykah Badu was the best), it seemed cobbled together with a lot of cheap shots and unnecessary live footage. I’d even argue that the kind of earnest folk and blues that this film champions has never been commercially viable — so what’s the point?
The Chordettes — “They’re Riding High” Says Archie. An eMusic download of the female harmony-pop quartet best known for the fantastic “Mr. Sandman.” This LP is a Best-Of originally released in 1957 (the Archie of the title is Cadence Records head Archie Bleyer, who was married to one of the ladies). Although it’s missing the later hits “Lollipop” and “Never On Sunday,” I really enjoyed this plushly produced, sweet stuff — not nearly as cheesy or sleep-inducing as I thought.
The Lives of Others (2006). Fascinating film that offers a glimpse into a time and place that I previously had little knowledge of (Communist East Germany in the ’80s). It comes across a touch too talky at first, but after a while I was so absorbed in the characters that it didn’t matter.
Stranger Than Fiction (2006). Will Farrell hearing voices in his head. An excellent cast and a thought-provoking premise, and I loved the graphic treatment of Farrell’s various anal-retentive habits. The only thing that bothered me was when (spoiler alert!) Dustin Hoffman advised Farrell to sacrifice himself so that Emma Thompson could publish her novel as it was intended. Would any halfway decent person with a conscience really do that?
La Vie En Rose (2007). Edith Piaf was a phenomenal singer, a prickly personality, and a hardcore drug abuser. That’s about all I learned from this film, but it sure is a beautifully made biopic — and Marion Cottiard is unbelievably good. I’m pulling for her to nab that Oscar.
More Bunnies
Posted another installment of Two Bunnies and a Duck today. This new one was done in ink. The lines are darker, making the words easier to read — but I don’t like drawing in ink as much, and the results came out wobbly looking. Back to pencil for the next one. I have several weeks’ worth of comics planned (but not yet drawn).
Wednesday Photo Spectacular!
It’s becoming apparent that this weblog has been suffering a bit of neglect lately, but hopefully I can put a Band Aid (similar to the one I got today for a tetanus shot) on that with these marvy photo-based links:
- Most Important: Newsweek’s slide show Losing Our Lakes demonstrates how global warming is contributing to lowering water levels all over the world. Sobering but well worth a look.
- Most Inspiring: Derrick Bostrom’s set of scans from an early ’60s book predicting what life in 1975 might be like. Apparently the future involved lots of industrial squared-off edges and gadgets we never thought we needed before. Bacon in a toaster? Hell yeah!
- Most Nostalgia-Inducing: Glen Mullaly’s series of posts on the movie and TV tie-in t-shirts he wore as a child hit me like a tall glass of Strawberry Quik. Read part one, part two and part three for a journey into iron-on nirvana. I can remember having a black Darth Vader tee in the fifth grade, with my name spelled out in blood red all-caps Cooper Black on the back. It was the coolest.
- Most Magical: I stumbled across this fascinating flickr photo set of early Walt Disney World snapshots and memorabilia last weekend. In planning my own WDW trip this spring, it’s kind of hitting me that I’d much, much rather vacation at the Magic Kingdom/Epcot as it existed sometime around 1983 (sigh).
New Mix: The Mr. Blackwell Show
Nowadays he might be dimly known for his bitchy “Worst Dressed” lists, but back in the ’60s Richard Blackwell had his own fashion line for plus-sized women and society matrons desiring a Beverly Hills sophisticated-yet-casual look. The gowns (and, yes, it was mostly gowns) he created had this luxe “swanky chic” thing going on — something I wanted to recreate using soundtrack cuts and soft pop music of the era. It’s in the same spirit as my holiday mix that I decided to share it with Scrubbles readers right here, in a downloadable continuous mix.
So, what was I going for on this one? It’s the sound of a modish soirée in a Technicolor Blake Edwards confection. Or of a woman in a Pucci print caftan curling up with a Jacqueline Susann novel. It’s “The Ladies Who Lunch” on a Mediterranean cruise. Luxurious, somewhat cheesy, but oh so elegant. If I could pick one track that epitomizes that feeling, it would be Henry Mancini’s lovely “Party Poop” from the soundtrack for the Peter Sellers comedy The Party. Enjoy.
Movie Poster Artist Extraordinaire
After dealing with little to nothing on the web about the great ’70s/’80s illustrator Richard Amsel, it’s a pleasure to see Adam McDaniel’s wonderful tribute to the artist. I’ve written in awe about Amsel before; he was a fantastic talent, but also something of an enigma. I wonder what would’ve been of his career had he not died so young. The site includes a nicely written bio and comprehensive galleries of his TV Guide covers and movie poster art. Of special interest are his unused cinematic poster concepts, like the one below for The Muppet Movie. Cool stuff!
The Granny Awards
Out of curiosity (okay, I wanted to see if Burt Bacharach and Doris Day might appear to pick up their Lifetime Achievement awards), I tuned into the Grammy Awards last night. Boy, what a strange show. Just hand me some Geritol ’cause I feel so elderly now! It’s bad enough that I’ve never heard of three quarters of the nominees, but isn’t it strange that the awards themselves are an afterthought on the telecast? Somewhere along the line the Grammy producers decided the telecast should feel less like a traditional awards show and more like a long concert filled with nothing but the brightest stars in music — but the live performances don’t come across all that well since they have all the spontaneity of a Bush Town Hall meeting. It’s superficial beyond belief and the pacing seems too rushed. Between all this puffery, a few major awards get a perfunctory handing-out — while the zillions of lesser award winners are flashed onscreen in nearly illegible type (seriously, I want to strangle the designer who picked a blocky all-caps, microscopic font for the award categories). Still, it’s worth it for the occasional moments of weirdness — like Kid Rock duetting with Keely Smith (who looks like she could be my mom’s older sister). And it seems like they always have to trot Aretha Franklin out like some friggin’ Macy’s parade balloon.
I never put much stock in the Grammys anyhow. They’ve got way too many categories and they tend to shower awards upon artists who are 10-20 years past their prime. Besides, they’ll never get over that Christopher Cross thing.
Reams of the Unreal
Yesterday, Christopher and I took our yearly little trek to the VNSA book sale which takes place every February. This is one of the biggest used book sales in the country — and luckily it’s located just a short walk from our house. The sale is an amazing experience, with books (and book lovers) of every type filling up an entire huge hall. I ended up getting the eleven books pictured below for the sum of $17. Some are common; some I’ve never seen before. The Peter Arno cartoon collection from 1930 is one of the oldest books I’ve ever seen there. In the same section I found Wendell Ehret’s “Dear Gertrood”, a collection of illustrated letters from a WWII soldier. Ehret has a loose ‘n lively style that appears influenced by vintage Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, but I haven’t been able to find anything about him on the web. I also delighted in finding Favorite American Songs (1956), a sheet music collection gorgeously illustrated by Aurelius Battaglia. Leif Peng has a weblog entry and flickr photoset on Battaglia (which confirms that the book I got is a later, slimmer reprint that omitted many illustrations — oh well!). I’m also looking forward to reading Doris Day’s autobiography from 1976, a lady upon whom I’ve been having a strange fixation lately. All in all, a good day’s haul.
Two Bunnies and a Duck
The s.o. has been hounding me for the last few weeks to get a comic strip going. Voilà: Two Bunnies and a Duck will be updated every two weeks. Doing a comic strip is harder than it looks. How the #@%≈$ do comic strip artists keep the characters looking the same in every panel? I keep drawing bunny after bunny and they always come out different. Anyways, enjoy the first installment.
The White Elephant in the Room
William at Robot Action Boy recently pointed out this second annual White Elephant Blogathon which sounds pretty cool. Participants select an awful (or sometimes good) movie, which another randomly selected blogger must view and do a writeup on. All of the blog posts will be published on April 1st. Hurry; deadline for participants is February 10th. Last year’s entries included things like Teen Witch, Nude for Satan and Bio-Dome. I am so gonna do this!
