Intergalactic Rigamarole

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * RANTS, RAMBLINGS, AND OTHER REPOSITORIES OF RANDOMNESS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The author retains an artistic license for this journal, and as such may fabulate, exaggerate and discombobulate. The reader is advised to engage his/her own brain in the perusal of these writings. Beware of possible fabrications, alliteration, puns, bad jokes, extreme silliness, and all manner of strange and wonderful words. Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

The Popcorn Bunny Strikes Again!

Current mood: Chilled
Current music: Emilie Simon

Gather round, pull up a comfy chair, and bring the popcorn... You'll want to watch movies after this. I have been indulging of late in one of my favourite escapist activities (viz, going to the cinema) and am now going to rave about the films I've seen. First up is 'The Emperor's Journey', the French documentary about emperor penguins, who travel back and forth between the Antarctic Ocean and the heart of Antarctica every year in order to breed and raise their chicks. It's a visually stunning piece, with utterly fantastic images of penguins, walls of ice, lots of penguins, deep blue seas, and lots and lots of penguins. The cinematography is accompanied by the voices of actors, who tell the tale from the penguins' perspective, as well as some very chilled out and calming music by Emilie Simon. Having watched the film I've decided that I'm very glad I am not a penguin, as the conditions they have to face are harsh to the extreme. Imagine being exposed to the elements, all through the dark and bitter Antarctic winter, and not having a bite to eat for nearly 5 months! Brrrrr. There are parts of the film that made me feel really sorry for the little chaps - they get attacked by sea leopards (a kind of seal) and giant petrels, or frozen to death in icy storms, or starved from lack of fish. A few of the penguins get separated from their tribes during the long march inland, and it's hard to think of a more desolate place in which to be lost and alone...

On the bright side, I've also decided that emperor penguin chicks are the cutest little fluffy things to walk on two wobbly legs. Awwww, innit sweet?

If I've got you interested, then you might want to check out the website, which has some info about the production as well as the movie itself (I feel sorry for the crew, too... They had to camp in Antarctica for 13 months!):

http://empereur.luc-jacquet.com

Look Mum, I'm on TV! We're ALL on TV!

There's also a cute penguin animation someone did in response to the film:

http://zav.site.free.fr/anim/zav_empereur.htm

Talk of animation leads me on to film number two, which is 'Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit'. If you've seen their short films, you'll know that Wallace and Gromit are Claymation (clay animation) characters; Wallace is a cheese-loving, tinkering, brilliant inventor (though a bit of a chump in other respects), and Gromit is his loyal canine sidekick who, though silent, is very expressive (and quite a bit smarter than his master). The duo were the brainchild of Nick Park (of Aardman Animations, who also did 'Morph' in the late 70s and more recently, 'Creature Comforts' and 'Chicken Run'), and they've won him two Oscars, three Baftas and a CBE... Not bad, eh?

'The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' is the first full-length W&G film, introducing new characters, more zany Wallace inventions, and a lot of rambunctious ravenous rabbits. It's a jolly good laugh; there are subtle jokes (Gromit graduated from 'Dogwarts'; there's a jar of 'Middle Age Spread' in the kitchen) to parodies (King Kong; also, the over-dramatic old horror movies) to just ridiculous scenarios (what happens in a chase scene involving coin-operated vehicles when you run out of money?). There's enough there to make people of different ages smile. Here are a couple more links for you:

http://www.wallaceandgromit.com

http://www.wandg.com ('The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' site)

I was rather shocked to learn that a fire broke out in Aardman Animations' Bristol warehouse last Monday (10 October), which destroyed the entire thirty years' worth of the company's history - including original sets and storyboards from not only the Wallace & Gromit short films, but also from numerous other Aardman creations. Ironically, this happened just as the Were-Rabbit leapt to the top of the US box office chart. Hmm, very suspicious... Arson, perhaps? [Cue ominous music.]

Anyway, getting back to the subject of films. Here's a question for you:

Which are the best and worst movies you've ever seen, and why?

Answers in 'Comments' please. As for me, I'd have to say that my favourite films include 'Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain' (very funny French film; high feel-good factor), 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' (which stars Audrey Hepburn, and is ultra chic, my dear) and the 'Back to the Future' trilogy (good laugh, and I like the idea of time-travelling). The worst film I was dragged, kicking and screaming, along to see was 'Urban Legend', a terrible and extremely pointless low-budget teenage slasher flick. It's technically a horror film, though frankly it was merely gory, and suspense doesn't really build up when you know that Scary Music = Oh, He's Gonna Die. Pretty pathetic effort; it could've had less blood and more nail-biting moments. I'm sure there were better things I could've done in those 99 wasted minutes!

I definitely do not recommend 'Urban Legend' - in fact, if it is ever shown on TV, I suggest you switch the telly off and curl up with a good book instead. You'll thank me for the tip. On the other hand, I heartily recommend all the other films I've just mentioned...

Well, what are you waiting for? Go forth and watch movies!

2 Comments:

  • At Friday, October 21, 2005 12:09:00 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I have to say, the worse film recently was "Bring it on". I usually don't mind wasting time on those teenage films, coz they tend to be good for a laugh, but this one was just SO pathetic. The romance was pathetic, the lines were cheesy plus, and I could go on and on, but that one is a definite miss, even according to my low standards.

    Favourite? hmmm, i have to go for a top 5 I think. actually I tried that once and I ended up with a top 5 in each genre. But some of my recently seen and recommendations are:
    My Neighbour Totoro- absolutely lovely film! I just adore how warm it is! there was one scene, that on rewatch, I laugh and cried at the same time! One of the best from Studio Ghibli.
    Zatoichi- I realised recently there are several versions of this story. this was the version made by and starring Takeshi Kitano. it's got blood and guts as well as laugh out loud scenes. it was just one of those movies that fitted me perfectly.
    Romeo+Juliet - Baz Lurhman's film is still the best! the design was awesome!
    Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon- the only film I've ever watched twice at the cinemas, coz it was THAT GOOD. I still love it.
    True Lies- come on TV all the time, and I have to watch it everytime. it is just hilarious! Even Arnie can't ruin it.

    Anyway, other honourable mentions includes: Shrek (1 and 2), Monsters Inc, Frequency (a film that is absolutely logical! no flaws!), Much Ado about Nothing, Mad Hot Ballroom.

     
  • At Wednesday, November 02, 2005 1:22:00 am, Blogger titaliis said…

    Just to share a magical moment : feeling like a penguin watching out la marche de l'empereur with Luc Jacquet on a giant screen in the open air in a tiny village in the French alps...
    It was soooooo nice !
    Julie

     

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