cross-media mashup

natsumi hayashi's "daily levitations"

a twenty-first century version of melvin sokolsky's fly girls. jumping never looked so out-of-this-world.

for your daily levitation, see yowayowacamera.com.

original hipster: emile cohl and stop motion magic

learn the history and see the magic.


I love stop motion from chloe fleury on Vimeo.

Emile Cohl's FANTASMAGORIE, 1908

hanna: i still love joe wright

i saw JOE WRIGHT's HANNA a while ago and couldn't place it. it's a story that's been told somewhere before, so when walking out of the theatre after watching my favorite director's latest work, my first thought wasn't awe. it wasn't disappointment. i knew i needed to sleep on it.

HANNA tells the tale of a girl (SAOIRSE RONAN) that's some sort of government project. she has undergone rigorous training by her father (ERIC BANA), and is sent on a mission to kill a woman (CLAIRE DAINES). she learns a bit about herself along the way.

she runs. she sleeps. she kills. images containing a decaying amusement park and an awesome score by the chemical brothers sometimes suggest the perversity of an adolescent female made to murder. but i think that's all, folks, which begs me to ask: is telling an oh-too-familiar story in a well-directed way worth the $8 - $15?

even so: interesting characters. beautiful cinematography. great acting. good pacing. perfect for a friday night at home, but can't wait for what's next for mr. wright.

may 7, 2011

i'm not afraid of anything.

last night: sex, love, and a frenchman

MASSY TADJEDIN's LAST NIGHT boasts one of the most attractive casts i've ever seen in a film. and what do attractive people do? sleep with each other.

writer/director tadjedin, however, doesn't make it a movie about sex, but a story of a married couple (KIERA KNIGHTLEY and SAM WORTHINGTON) confused about their faith in one another when confronted with temptation (french GUILLAUME CANET and EVA MENDES). after a fight, a business trip divides the main couple between philadelphia and their home in new york, and it is during this one night apart that they are separately confronted with a sexual/romantic itch. the film's scheme keeps its audience guessing how its characters will react to their given circumstances of emotion, desire, intoxication, and doubt throughout the night. all four have backstories, but a viewer must ask themselves what they want of the other: is it sex, or is it love? how do they express it? to this plot, marriage is an unmistakeable roadblock for its players in their exploits outside, and one that elevates the plot to honest drama.

it is full of awkward moments that add to immediacy of its viewing experience, and feels more like a stage play than anything that has been on screen for a while. the story and its tellers don't try convince their audience of a specific viewpoint of love and marriage, but try to figure it out, making this film a genuine gem in a genre generally jaded to the male or female sex. beautifully shot, well acted (i think something's clicked for knightley), and skillfully directed, LAST NIGHT will read you as well as you read it.

blue star