Fantasia vs Black Hole

Due to my subconscious drive to turn this into The Black Hole Appreciation Blog, here are some screenshot comparisons between my beloved BH, and another divisive Disney classic, 1940's Fantasia.

I watched Fantasia for the first time last night, and though I love the artistry of the animation, some segments drag on forever. But! during the Bald Mountain segment, I kept seeing all these Black Hole visual references. So, here they are!

1. I read Max was based on the Devil from this scene. Compare. Contrast.

2. Both have them lording from a mountain top.

3. Both have people falling into the mouth of hell. Get that robot out of the shot!

4. Both transition with pilgrims walking two by two, exiting the dark underworld. Seeing Fantasia helped me make sense of one of the biggest bummers of Black Hole. It's unfair that the lobotomized crew had to burn in hell due to Reinhardt's maliciousness. If I think of them as leading the Palomino's crew toward the light, then it's a much happier ending then I originally thought.

5. Finally, both move into a cathedral-like arched tunnel, moving out of danger into safety.

So in closing, all Fantasia really needs is Slim Pickens.

FIGHT EVIL
Sam Drog

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Back to here. Missed you.

So Tumbler made it too convenient.

If it takes so little energy to accomplish, why not do it later, or later, or never? If I am at absolute zero, and to blog means I have to be at .000001, my brain will not warm enough to do that. But if I have to get to 25% effort, I have to do a whole voodoo ritual, and by the time that is done, I'm ready to share. In closing, tumbler took away the process, so why do it.

And, so last night I spent a good chunk of the evening looking at concept art from The Black Hole. Be glad they took the kids out of that movie. The art shows astronaut kids. Can you imagine how terrible that would have been? The thing this movie has going for it is its dismal and oppressive atmosphere. Adding a yippie zippie kid, like a Witch Mountain type character, that would have detracted too much. The argument against myself here is that it could have been The Shining in space.

Of my search I found these two posters which I must have.

What else, watched Mulan last night with Cam and Abbie. They are such Disney freaks, I'm catching their fever. I've always been a WB man, but as I age, you have to appreciate the virtuosity that goes into their animated features. Every shot of Mulan has some trick or detail that is so next level. All their 90's event movies are like that. I'm glad I got to work at the theater during this period, to see the madness of opening weekend when these came out. Hunchback is still my favorite from this period.

Last night I spent another large chunk looking at the background plates for 101 Dalmatians. I didn't know Sleeping Beauty was a big failure for the studio so they had to cut costs, and started xeroxing the pencils onto cells instead of inking by hand. All those inkers where fired, and that's why the style is so different, with the scratchy lines. It detracts from the animation, looks cheaper, but I love the look of the backgrounds. The hard lines over the painted backgrounds, and the color bleeding, I can't get enough of it.


Looks like this!

VS this from Sleeping Beauty.

They are both awesome, who we kidding.

So the kids want to go to IHOP. So we are going to IHOP.


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Sam Drog

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Moving this blog!!!!!!

I'm moving to tumbler. It's easier to post to from my phone. If blogger comes back out with a decent mobile app, I'll be back. Until then, I am at


https://samdrog.tumblr.com/




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Sam Drog

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Something on you

Rock Head

Chunk

Before you make that big purchase...

If you are going to add an extra head to your head, take some time to make the following considerations:

1. Be sure you have the headspace. Some of you may have sloping shallow foreheads that cannot accommodate an entirely separate entity. You may have to take the modular approach, adding blocks to the skull cap to provide enough room to comfortably root your new copilot. Best to meet the extra expense rather then cramming the number two into too little a space. Nothing says amateur more then two big faces on a tiny little head..

2. More importantly, be sure the new addition has a complementary temperance. If you find yourself a compulsive panicker, frought with anxiety, then to get one of the same grafted to your head will only compound the problem. On the other hand, if you are sedate and meditative, your new addition may be constantly competing for your subconscious. In the world of duel operating systems, opposites attract.

Thank you for your time, and happy shopping!

SD

Ten Thoughts on Swiss Army Man (2016)

1. Radcliffe to self, “If this doesn't get Harry Potter out of their heads, nothing will.”

2. Paul Dano is such a odd ball. He must come from the same planet Willem Dafoe is from.

3. Just when you think this movie is out of tricks, a magic boner appears.

4. The emphasis that this movie places on flatulence is truly wondrous. Whenever the story paints itself into a corner, a magical fart comes and gets the characters out of trouble. It’s the oddest deus ex machina ever.

5.. I was about to turn this off, thinking that it would be fart jokes in the woods with this guy and a corpse. Luckily, the filmmakers keep it interesting by diving deep into the leads psyche and giving the character a real arc. They make this premise more interesting then you think would be possible. In the end, it is inventive, gross, weird, and funny,

6.The ending goes to a dark place I was not expecting, showing how sad and desperate the lead is. The final hurrah ends on a high note, gives you some relief, and stays with you afterwards. The reactions of the characters was so perfect, mirroring what I was thinking at that moment.

7. What kept me engaged first was the music, and how the soundtrack is integrated in what the characters are thinking.

8. The way the lead protagonist talks about his childhood, I could relate to it, and now raising an autistic child I was wondering if the directors are on the spectrum. The singing to the lead so he doesn’t over think things was very on the money. The innocent inquisitiveness of the corpse sounded like conversations I’ve had with my kid, how he understands things in a different but logical way. This movie is totally on the spectrum.

9. The navel gazing gets annoying in the middle section, but then something looney happens and gets you back into a weirdo mood. The best stretch ends up being with the two recreating their lives in the woods, like a mumblecore Gilligan’s Island.

10. I really enjoyed this, but not how you enjoy a typical movie. I admire its guts and how they went with a concept that could not have seemed like a good idea at any point in the process. To believe in it, and to go for it, and to actually get an audience to get emotionally involved in such a weirdo story, that is a real accomplishment. However, I can’t imagine me recommending this though to a “normie” and them ever speaking to me again. That is a complement.

FIGHT EVIL
Sam Drog

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About Star Wars Rogue One - SPOILERS

At Star Wars Rogue One. Kept kids out of school, Cameron and Sarah, I stayed out of work.  Abby went to pre-K because she wanted to go to her Christmas pajama party. Also show and share. 

Got to theater an hour early. Thought there would be a big line but no one was here. Just me and the kids and Stephanie.

My initial take on Rogue One.

- Boring. Bland characters in generic action set ups. The plot meanders and lacks focus. I kept wanting to check the time and my kids were nodding off.

- The Easter eggs leading into Episode Four are well done and fun, but constantly remind you of the big shadow this movie lives in.

- The exception is a doozy. Peter Cushing back on the screen was amazing. Only in extreme close-up does the illusion crack. How great to see that character and that actor on the big screen again.

- The bright spot of this movie is Donnie Yen, the IP Man. His character, and the likability he brings to it, is the one thing in the movie that I could get behind. Seeing IP Man beating up storm troopers was awesome. His character, not a Jedi, but a disciple to the force was something new in the Star Wars universe.

- Darth Vader, back on the scene, kicking ass. Very cool scene, glad they gave him something to do.

- Why did we not get Admiral Akbar in the ending battle sequence? It it was weird that it wasn't him but some look-alike stand in character.

- There has to be an easier way to send files in the universe. Don't they have cloud storage or a network or email. Seems like this world is pre-internet.

- The effects are good with some neat highlights like the land tidal wave and two star destroyers crashing into each other. But no dramatic weight to anything. Just pretty pictures.

- Liked that the Death Star's weakness was put there on purpose by a an Oppenheimer like figure. The one thing I was looking to get out of the movie was the scene where they decided to ignore the fact that the exhaust port was exposed and could cause trouble later. I thought we would get a flustered bureaucrat who pushes it through because the Death Star is behind schedule and over budget.

- The biggest problem with the movie is the Rogue One mission doesn't start until 90 minutes into the movie. Had it just been about that mission and the people in it and the sacrifices they make this could have been really good and I felt myself waking up once their mission began but it is a long hall to get there. And once things go wrong you have nothing invested in any of the team. They are faceless fodder.

- Forest Whitaker is a kook and whatever he was doing did not fit into any universe.

- The robot sidekick was needed as the two leads were so lifeless. His witty little remarks, though forced, at least gave you something to chuckle at. 

Over all, 4 out of 10

Sam Drog

Flex

Metal Head

Uncomplicated Now

Mind Suck

BLUUHHHHH!

Coloring Books for Adults

Messing around with this new app. I lets you zap in your own designs and easily color them. And then it slaps its logo on it! Arrgh! But it is a fun app, you should all try it.

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Sam Drog

Clown Versus Monkey! Check It Out Here!

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The shelf

The US and UK Editions, at long last!

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Sam Drog

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CVM status

Hi!

384 steps until the movie is done.

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Sam Drog

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Clown Versus Monkey: Monday morning status.

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Sam Drog

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Clown Versus Monkey: Spread Sheet Status

Those last two columns with all the white, don't sweat it. Mostly rendering and adding dissolves. It's those scattered whites in the middle that take a while; clown keying and adding their punchout patterns. There are a lot of props still to move around, but that puts me in a zen state, so no sweat. One of those columns is blood splatter, that might take a hot second, so we will see if I have time before the screening this Saturday.


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Sam Drog

Clown Versus Monkey! Check It Out Here!

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Clown Versus Monkey: Status Friday Night

FIGHT EVIL
Sam Drog

Clown Versus Monkey! Check It Out Here!

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Watch Short Films Here!