Japan Destroyed and Rebuilt
Here’s a couple of Japan themed clips, showing human ingenuity, at its worst and best. I like the way they match, giving much more sense to each other.
The first one, is a CGI re-enactment of the explosion of Little Boy, the first atomic bomb ever used against civil population in history. It is an excerpt from Hiroshima, a BBC documentary.
The second is an old post from my own blog which I’ve just updated. Japan is a visual piece directed by Nobuo Takahashi that shows a Japanese city changing from a rural area to a metropolis.
Watch Hiroshima. (Flash Video)
Watch Japan. (MPEG-4)
Protrude Flow
Creator’s motive:
I wanted to create a space where people could experience the dynamism of physical development. I decided that manipulating fluid by voice input would be an optimal means of interaction. The experiments I did shaping magnetic fluid with a metallic luster were astonishing and exciting from start to finish.
The tremendous energy in even the smallest movement of the fluid as it gushes up, flows, and falls in an endless kaleidoscope of patterns is art I want to offer for people’s enjoyment. I am deeply grateful to everyone who worked with me on this project
As a child or an adult, watery-solid-stuff (gooey) fascinates me and, I assume, most people. Why is gooey stuff so pleasurable to watch?
This is Dynamation!
A featurette on Ray Harryhausen’s Dynamation technique, with images from The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
Bonus: Creatures List. A video compilation of every Ray Harryhausen stop motion animated creature in feature films, presented in chronological order.
Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva
One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Stunningly beautiful but relatively simple. Japanese Buddhism (and much of the Oriental Buddhism) is centered on developing two emotions within you. Namely, to be compassionate to others (common among religions) but to also constantly create a sense of awe within you of the world, especially in regards to nature.
The video certainly does that. It shows the human shape in a dynamic form that can work in perfect synchronicity with others. Like old Hollywood musical numbers, the sheer number of bodies can be overwhelming and, in this case, become a mystical event.
Don’t miss this, you will probably want to watch it again.
Rinpa Sai
Another cool stop-motion group art video.
Fast and Reliable
A documentary about a bicycle courier with a very important message. The director is Tom Soper.
Released with a Creative Commons License.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
via Atom Films
Favorite Scenes: When We Were Kings (the climatic fight)
If you haven’t seen When We Were Kings, you should. A Oscar winning documentary on the famous Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman held in Zaïre in the 70’s. I am not a big boxing guy but this film was so moving, mostly because of Ali and his connection to the Africa.
When it came to time for the fight, it felt like going back to work after a wonderful vacation. At the time, I didn’t know who had won the fight but watching the film, I’d guessed it would be Foreman. I had never seen a more intimidating boxer than Foreman.
With the commentary of Normail Mailer, the fight becomes a mythic struggle. Young vs Old, strong vs the dance, skill vs art, Foreman vs Ali. The fight lives up to the hype.
[Spoler Alert] Ali gets beaten to a pulp, by design. After very round of Foreman’s beatings, Ali responds with verbal abuse. Foreman unable to get Ali down tires rapidly, and in the 8th round, Ali springs into action. Four to five punches is all it takes to bring the tiring Foreman down. It is incredible since Ali had taken such a beating at the ropes for almost 7 rounds. The film also briefly goes into Foreman’s transformation after the fight, from an anti-social boxer to the sweet television personality of today.
Ali became one of my heroes after watching the film. I can’t tell you how many times, women have found that offensive. Since Ali was a big womanizer among other things. But Ali, unlike his peers, spoke and acted for what he believed in. He might have been an egomaniac but he was also genuinely interested in using his fame for the good of others. His stand against Vietnam was unprecedented. If he wasn’t robbed blind by Don King, I’m sure he would have given most of his money to charity.
U-min
A Japanese dancing crew does one an outstanding routine. Their slow-motion is something you oughta see. Definitely!
Watch it. (Flash Video)
The Simpsons at The Actor’s Studio!!
This isn’t a joke, The Simpons cast were actually at The Actor’s Studio. Pop culture scales new heights. Sadly, the editing stinks. For whatever reason, the producers of the The Actor’s Studio suffocated the show with a lot of cutaways from The Simpsons, instead of just showing the actors talking. Which kills the point of the show, to show the transformation of these actors to these characters. Notice that the actor behind Marge’s voice is never seen on camera. In the group shot, she magically disappears.
Anyways, if you are a Simpsons fan, it doesn’t get better than this.
Watch Part one – Part two – Part three
The Man with Two Heads
“A French mime does his rather unusual routine. You probably should not take drugs before viewing this.”
Watch it. (Flash Video)
The Man Who Planted Trees
The story of a shepard who repairs the ruined ecosystem of a secluded valley by singlehandedly cultivating a forest over a thirty year period.
A short film directed by Frédéric Back based on a story by Jean Giono. Won at the Oscars and in Cannes, back in 1988.
This is the English version, with the narration of Christopher Plummer. The French version had Philippe Noiret (RIP) as recitant.
Watch it. (Flash Video)
Kris Moyes – White unicorn
From the director of Softlightes comes White Unicorn. A music video injected with 60’s concert footage, LSD colors, squiggles and VHS artifacts. Beautiful!
Watch it – There is more Moyes videos here
Minilogue – hitchhikers choice
Whiteboard animation at its very best. The poster-child for our “Human Ingenuity” category.
Ryan
We don’t see things as they are. We see things as we are.
Awesome, touching, oscar winning masterpiece by Chris Landreth about the influential animator Ryan Larkin. What follows is taken from the National Film Boards of Canada website.
“A gentleman panhandler. One of the pioneers of Canadian animation. Oscar nominee. Poor beggar. An artist unable to create. God observing the world. Fallen angel. Arrogant. Shy. Broken. Not destroyed.
“Ryan, directed by Chris Landreth, is an animated tribute to Canadian animator Ryan Larkin. Thirty years ago, at the National Film Board of Canada, Ryan produced some of the most influential animated films of his time. Today, Ryan lives on welfare and panhandles for spare change in downtown Montreal. How could such an artistic genius follow this path?
“In Ryan we hear the voice of Ryan Larkin and people who have known him, but these voices speak through strange, twisted, broken and disembodied 3D generated characters… people whose appearances are bizarre, humorous or disturbing. Although incredibly realistic and detailed, Ryan was created and animated without the use of live action footage, rotoscoping or motion capture…but instead from an original, personal, hand animated three-dimensional world which Chris calls ‘psychological realism’.”
Watch: Part1 – Part2 (Flash Video)
P.S. You should try to watch this on some better media than YouNoob. It’s really worth it.
Miming Torn
I have watched this several times. Johann Lippowitz mimes Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn.
- Performing with Natalie Imbruglia (they call the performer David Armand here)
- Lippowitz Music video (not funny at all!!?)
- Imbruglia’s official video for Torn
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