Friday, December 30, 2016
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
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
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
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
Clown Versus Monkey! Check It Out Here!
Buy Satanic Killer Chicken Here!
Watch Short Films Here!
Friday, December 16, 2016
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.
- 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
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Friday, December 09, 2016
Thursday, December 08, 2016
Tuesday, December 06, 2016
Coloring Books for Adults
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
CVM status
Monday, August 08, 2016
Clown Versus Monkey: Monday morning status.
Sunday, August 07, 2016
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.
FIGHT EVIL
Sam Drog
Clown Versus Monkey! Check It Out Here!
Buy Satanic Killer Chicken Here!
Watch Short Films Here!
Friday, August 05, 2016
Clown Versus Monkey: Status Friday Night
Monday, August 01, 2016
Clown Versus Monkey: Status on the Spreadsheet
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Clown Versus Monkey: There are No Monkeys in this Dojo!
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Clown Versus Monkey: captain's log
Last night's log. Progress is progressing.
The plot to CvM revealed!
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Clown Versus Monkey Chunk#5 Stills
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Clown Versus Monkey: When Bonzo Met Preston
Monday, July 04, 2016
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Clown Versus Monkey: 45
I did not get further with pieces last night, but got the computer to cool down and did some clean up.
Computer running better, need to get some more space. The RAM cannot be increased.4G is as big as it can get on this machine. Will improvise.
Right now, the score is 981/45.
FIGHT EVIL
Sam Drog
Clown Versus Monkey! Check It Out Here!
Buy Satanic Killer Chicken Here!
Watch Short Films Here!
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Clown Versus Monkey: RAM
Monday, June 27, 2016
Clown Versus Monkey: Into the Abyss
So here's some math.
I have 988 steps left to finish Clown Versus Monkey.
A friend wants to show it at a festival coming up.
He will show it as a work in progress.
I have 1152 hours before the fest.
I can do about 3 steps in an hour, baring computer glitches and obsessive tweaking.
That is 3/988 = 329 hours.
329/48 = 6.85 hours a day.
Let's say 7 hours a day, until August.
Let's say 3.5 before work and 3.5 after work.
Is it possible? Can I live 48 days in that CvM zone?
FIGHT EVIL
Sam Drog
Clown Versus Monkey! Check It Out Here!
Buy Satanic Killer Chicken Here!
Watch Short Films Here!
I have 988 steps left to finish Clown Versus Monkey.
A friend wants to show it at a festival coming up.
He will show it as a work in progress.
I have 1152 hours before the fest.
I can do about 3 steps in an hour, baring computer glitches and obsessive tweaking.
That is 3/988 = 329 hours.
329/48 = 6.85 hours a day.
Let's say 7 hours a day, until August.
Let's say 3.5 before work and 3.5 after work.
Is it possible? Can I live 48 days in that CvM zone?
FIGHT EVIL
Sam Drog
Clown Versus Monkey! Check It Out Here!
Buy Satanic Killer Chicken Here!
Watch Short Films Here!
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Cameron Conkle's Mars Rover Life Cycle
Cameron spent five hours drawing 100 pictures of the Mars Rover's life cycle.
I put some sound effects on it and there you go. Cameron's obsessive personality is perfect for animation. We actually had some creative differences over how many "pops" to use.
FIGHT EVIL
Sam Drog
Clown Versus Monkey! Check It Out Here!
Buy Satanic Killer Chicken Here!
Watch Short Films Here!
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Wednesday, March 09, 2016
Friday, February 19, 2016
Ten Reasons You Should See The Church (1989)
1. A big event in high school was when a group of buddies
and I took the subway to the one theater in Atlanta that was showing Cemetery
Man. It was a horror geek pilgrimage to see a bonafide Italian Zombie Movie. A
great movie, a great memory. Cemetery Man became a reference point in our
marathon movie conversations. The director Michele Soavi did this movie before Cemetery
Man, and you can see the same style here, especially when winged lizard man
shows up.
2. This movie is all about the atmosphere. Nothing scary
happens, but it’s so beautifully shot, staged, and lit that you don’t care. Great
atmosphere and takes full advantage of the huge gothic cathedral they shot in.
If you get to shoot in an ancient gothic cathedral, it can only help your
movie. You got Cathedral? Movie makes itself.
3. Asia Argento is here as a gawky preteen who loves to go
out to cheesy Italian discos and dance with preppy little dweebs in Member’s
Only jackets. This was way before I met Asia at a Fango convention, married
her, only to have the relationship fall
apart under the microscope of public scrutiny. It was nobody’s fault.
Somethings aren’t built to last.
4. Hey, it has the degenerate from Gates of Hell, Giovanni
Lombardo Radice, all grown up and bald, this time playing a priest. Even in the
white collar, this guy is a greasy mess.
5. Speaking of greasy messes, everyone in this movie ends up
coated in baby oil. I liked that, lots of greasy hair and greasy, grimy skin,
and an alter made of muddy, writhing bodies. I guess that was an alter. Maybe
an animal head? Not sure what they were going for, but it looked cool. Bottomline:
There are no wet wipes in this world.
6. I liked that they didn’t go Evil Dead make up in depicting the possessed people. People just start
acting crazy. You don’t know who’s possessed, or if everyone is possessed. Is
anyone sane in this movie?!? The over the top acting and dubbing adds to this
confusion. Are they crazy and possessed, or is this just bad acting? It’s
great.
7. The greatest
dubbing comes when someone gets possessed and starts retching and gagging. I
can picture the actor in the sound booth making all these noises, the director
trying to guide his gacks and groans. Hilarious.
8. Philip Glass on the soundtrack, if that’s your kind of
thing, kind of thing, kind of thing, kind of thing, kind of thing, kind of
thing, kind of thing. You also get Goblin. So it’s legit.
9. Goat Head Man was fantastic. Imagine the love scene in Rosemary’s Baby, but with a big rubber goat head.
10. I missed this when it came out in the 80s. I love the
homemade feel.
All done in camera. I didn’t see one optical. Feels like theater and photography, not like Home Video with CG
monsters thrown on top.
Pairs well with: Prince of Darkness (1987) – It’s Carpenter,
so you know it’s awesome, and the two movies share a lot of plot similarities.
Show Stopper! Two words: Subway Train
FIGHT EVIL
Sam Drog
Clown Versus Monkey! Check It Out Here!
Buy Satanic Killer Chicken Here!
Watch Short Films Here!
Monday, January 18, 2016
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