ABCs at the Movies: The Doubles Round!

[oilgun]

Dir: Run Wrake
UK
9 min.

Another wonderful short included in the dvd CINEMA 16: EUROPEAN SHORT FILM.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Dxn3VWOws[/youtube]

From IMDb: This strange short story tells an old tale in a new way. Two ambitious, young children chase down a rabbit and find a small idol hidden inside. This idol has the odd power of turning insects into jewels. Soon, the two kids hatch up a plan to make an operation of it—killing animals to attract flies that are then transformed into more jewels. Connections to our consumer culture can be readily drawn.

Animated from a set of 1950s stickers meant to teach kid's how to read, Rabbit reads like a children's book brought to life in 3D. In combination, the horrific storyline and the innocent imagery creates a sense of twisted unease that has no equal.

Run Wrake is a seasoned animator/illustrator with a bizarre taste in the grotesqueness of pop culture. His website is chock full of more film pieces and probably the best illustrated biography page I've seen.

[Fran]

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP59tQf_njc[/youtube]
Time:  8:15

[southendmd]

To me, this looks like a low-budget Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon !

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJzU3NjDikY[/youtube]

IMDb:  This zany little stop-motion short has caused quite a sensation on the popular video-sharing website, YouTube, and it was with some surprise that I discovered that this apparently-"amateur" film was recognised as legitimate on the Internet Movie Database. This eligibility arises from the fact that the film has featured at two well-known film festivals: the Boston Underground Film Festival and the Riverrun International Film Festival. "Tony vs Paul" was written and directed by two first-time filmmakers, Paul Cummings and Tony Fiandaca, who also star as two former friends who engage in a wacky stop-motion battle through the countryside of Massachusetts, USA.

The film makes use of pixilation – an animation technique using live actors as stop-motion objects – which was made popular back in 1952 in Norman McLaren's short, "Neighbours." It uses the technique exceedingly well, with the characters' movements always seeming completely smooth, particularly when each man finds himself gliding a good one metre above the ground (an effect accomplished by continuously jumping into the air for each frame). According to the filmmakers, the film took two months to film and edit, and – stop motion being a relatively tedious process – you can imagine what sort of patience the two must have been required to have. The film's soundtrack, which is a catchy little techno tune, was performed by the third and final credited crew member, Christopher Donovan.

To be perfectly honest, there's really nothing significant about this film. The story is virtually non-existent, and it doesn't say anything important or incite any powerful emotions. However, it does demonstrate the commitment of the two filmmakers so very well, and some of the visuals can only be described as "cool." I look forward to their next effort.

=aside Fran
Thanks for "Spin"; I really enjoyed that.

[Ellemeno]

A Merrie Melodies cartoon.

From IMDb:  Are animals human? Or vice versa? This is the question asked by a professor, Dr. Beest Lee, who appears on a stage in a theater to give a lecture and show a film about the human-like qualities of various cartoon animals, among them a beaver who "damns" a troublesome river, a groundhog who uses technology to predict the coming of spring, and a dog who scolds his neglectful master. Written by Kevin McCorry {[email protected]}

Mel Blanc    ...    (voice)

[oilgun]

Tim Burton
USA
6 min.

Plot Summary: Young Vincent Malloy dreams of being just like Vincent Price and loses himself in macabre daydreams which annoys his mother.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxQcBKUPm8o[/youtube]

[southendmd]

Here's the fabulous chase scene (3:16).  Who knew penguins could be so evil?

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH0fjTof8P4[/youtube]

[southendmd]

I like this one even better than "What's Opera, Doc?"

Bugs presages gay marriage by greater than 50 years    (watch at 6:55).

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ3efT1kqXs[/youtube]

[oilgun]

David Snyder
USA
14 min.

IMDb Plot Summary: 'yeah no definitely' is about a young man unable to express himself, and the danger he poses when his long-seething emotions finally explode. Cam and Kiff are students in an intense platonic relationship. At a summer party, Cam becomes intoxicated and angry. He's unwilling to admit his attraction to Kiff, and unable to release powerful feelings of grief he's holding inside. Kiff hopes having a good time might make Cam forget his pain. Both are in denial, and the truth's suppression may kill one of them before the night is over. The film is a study in self-deception, a theme worth exploring now, when Americans seem particularly desperate to avoid dealing with reality, and grasp at any diversion rather than look in the mirror.

Trailer, 45 sec.:
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wPi-7klvzY[/youtube]


==ASIDE==
Is anyone updating the archives?  I haven't checked any of my titles for the last several rounds.  Has Leslie abandoned the game?

[Fran]

Gil, I've volunteered to help Leslie update the archives.  There's a lot of catching up to do.  To give you some idea, I'm currently on the "B&W, then color" round.  Leslie hasn't abandoned the game; real life is just interfering. 

[southendmd]

Thanks, Fran, for your efforts. 

Dontcha hate when RL interferes with our ABCing?