The Zero Theorem, Terry Gilliam's latest, didn't go down well with The Guardian's Xan Brooks, who called it "a sagging bag of half-cooked ideas, a dystopian thriller with runaway dysentery, a film that wears its metaphorical trousers around its metaphorical ankles".
I still want to watch it though. Even if it is a bit half-baked, it's not as if there's zero precedent for genius coming out of chaos. Gilliam is ace and I generally find his films improve with time. Interesting cast, too.
I wonder if you remember David Lewandowski's bizarre naked rubber man animation? Fabulously weird and a must-see for anyone with an ounce of internetishness. Well he's done a sequel. "Late for meeting" tells the story of... is about a... well... maybe just watch it and make your own mind up:
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/78424222 w=700&h=350]
Ah! But I promised Lewandowskis plural. Well then you need to visit Josh Lewandowski, who is drawing a pointless diagram for every day of the year. Of his project, he says: "The drawings appear meaningful without actually being helpful. Some might seem to reference real things or show some sort of relationship between things, but this is merely accidental. Enjoy."
Here's today's:
History doesn't yet relate whether these Lewandowkis are related, nor indeed if they are related to The Brothers Lewandowski (Bruno, Max and David), who used to sell lingerie to aristocrats, notably Her Majesty Queen Maria Therese of Bavaria, Princess Adalbert of Bavaria, Princess Ludwig Ferdinand and Infanta Eulalia of Spain, but it's nice to think so.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGTwSNPqAqs&w=700] Sixty years ago, the BBC filmed a train journey from London to Brighton, squeezed into just four minutes. Thirty years ago, we did it again. Now we are bringing it up to date, to see how much has changed - and how much is still the same. Here's all three journeys side by side.
The soundtrack is Star Guitar, by The Chemical Brothers.
Via Kottke.
Amazing. Click to enlarge. Via Potrzebie.
Wikipedia sez:
During his 40-year career Bass worked for some of Hollywood's most prominent filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. Among his most famous title sequences are the animated paper cut-out of a heroin addict's arm for Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm, the credits racing up and down what eventually becomes a high-angle shot of a skyscraper in Hitchcock's North by Northwest, and the disjointed text that races together and apart in Psycho.
Bass designed some of the most iconic corporate logos in North America, including the Bell System logo in 1969, as well as AT&T's globe logo in 1983 after the breakup of the Bell System. He also designed Continental Airlines' 1968 jet stream logo and United Airlines' 1974 tulip logo which became some of the most recognized airline industry logos of the era.
Here's his title sequence for The Man With The Golden Arm, made in 1955: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS76whmt5Yc&w=700]
[youtube=http://youtu.be/BNZu1uxNvlo&w=700] The Nathaniel B. Palmer in the Ross Sea, Antarctica.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/54105345 w=700&h=390] Muck diving gets its name from the conditions - sediment and mud and so on. Calm and shallow, but low visibility, but then it's the muck that makes it interesting, as it's the perfect habitat for unusual, exotic and juvenile organisms that make their homes in the sediment and "trash" that compose a muck dive. Creatures like colorful nudibranchs, anglerfish, shrimp, blue-ringed octopus, and rare pygmy seahorses.
Lembeh Strait is near Sulawesi in Indonesia.
You're going to want to view this "large" or full screen if you've got the bandwidth.
Khaled Sultani, who made this, says: "Lembeh Strait diving - simply one of the best place in the world for muck diving and macro photo+videography. Shot with Sony Cx550 with Light & Motion housing; with sola lights."
The song is "The awakening of a woman" by Cinematic Orchestra.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/58933055 w=700&h=390]
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/54348266 w=700&h=390] Spotted by Señor Bayliss and best viewed full screen: From the makers of All.I.Can comes the new feature film: INTO THE MIND
Blur the lines between dream state and reality, as you perceive the world through the minds of many. Into the Mind contemplates the experiences passed between mentors and peers to paint a philosophical portrait of human kind. What drives us to overcome challenge? How do we justify risk? What forces are at the core of a mountain addiction? Unique athlete segments over a multitude of mountain sport genres depict the connectivity of Earth, and window into never seen before moments. Explore how we begin our perception of self, construct the foundations of confidence, and are ultimately led up the path of self-actualization.
As Buddha once said, “The mind is everything. What you think you become.” Into The Mind is about becoming.
intothemindmovie.com facebook.com/sherpascinema Directors: Dave Mossop and Eric Crosland Producer: Malcolm Sangster Music: A Tribe Called Red - Electric Powwow (Available for free at electricpowwow.com ) Original Score by Jacob Yoffee, Sound Design: Cody Petersen
[vimeo https://vimeo.com/49445992 w=700&h=390]
Supported by Edwin, but not overly obviously so...nice job. I like the way they all have really hilariously blokey Bowie knives and stuff, and use them to eat tinned sardines.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/50061391 w=700&h=390] Best viewed quite big (nice spot, thank you Adam).
Music "The Alley" by DeVotchKa. Photographed and edited by Ben Wiggins. Contact: info@timelapseinc.com
[vimeo https://vimeo.com/48726610 w=700&h=390] One day skating with Kilian Martin in Madrid, 2012.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/1vaQ-Y6kLOM&w=700]
[youtube=http://youtu.be/pOPJxBjHkgc&w=700]
Great post from The Fox is Black, and nice to see Jameson doing content so well:
‘The Ventriloquist’ is a fantastic short film written and directed by Benjamin Leavitt and staring Kevin Spacey. The film came about as part of a wonderful competition set-up by Trigger Street Productions (‘The Social Network’ and ‘21’) and sponsored by Jameson Whiskey. Designed to uncover up-and-coming film talent, the competition asked people in South Africa, Russia and the USA to submit a 7 page script and the winning three entries got to make their short – each one staring Kevin Spacey.
It’s a wonderful idea and the shorts really don’t disappoint. Leavitt’s film is particularly great. It tells the story of an introverted ventriloquist (Spacey) who tries to match wits with his outspoken marionette. What works so well in Leavitt’s film is how it deals with the difficulties of communication. In a world of e-mail, texts, tweets and every-other form of modern communication it’s not too hard to form a connection with Spacey’s character and to empathize with the difficulties he has simply talking to people face-to-face. In this sense, we could all be viewed as being like ventriloquists from time-to-time. Make sure to put some time aside and watch this film.
You can also view the other two great shorts on Jameson Whiskey’s YouTube page. They come well recommended!
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/40974947 w=700&h=350]
Five years. 25 countries. Shot entirely on 70mm film. Ron Fricke’s long-awaited “Samsara” looks incredible. Well worth having a sneak peek on the Samsara website. If you liked Baraka, you'll like this. If you didn't, chances are you won't.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/Q34z5dCmC4M&w=700] A tip of the hat to Miss Daisy.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/14832158 w=700&h=390] Saw this on It's Nice That:
If horse racing is indeed the sport of kings then ping-pong must be the sport of youth clubs, but maybe its reputation is set for an overdue rehabilitation. Ping Pong follows the fortunes of eight pensioners as they prepare for the World Table Tennis Championships in Mongolia. There’s Inge (89) who uses the sport to help battle her dementia, Australian centurion Dorothy, the oldest ever competitor, and a host of other elderly eccentrics just potty about ping-pong. But it’s also a film about growing old, about looking back and about making sense of things. Released in July, it promises to be an early antidote to the slick, coporatism likely to engulf much of this summer’s sport.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GYW5G2kbrKk&w=700] Saw this on Blackie's FB wall. Lovely. Made me well up. And then I found out it's a fake.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/37985580 w=700&h=380]
So for the last few months I've been working hard with my lovely sister Jen and the PENCIL gang on The Scenic Route, a short film that shows a day in the life of the SLS AMG Gullwing. It was such fun to do - a real family and friends project. It has some great cameos and beautiful music. We're really happy with it and proud of it. Share it with your friends! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89K3Ut74hKM&w=700]
The concept of the film was born after creative siblings Jack and Jenny Dyson took the Gullwing for a spin and fell madly in love with the car. Rather than give it the usual petrolhead spin, complete with smoking tyre marks and skidding noises, the duo turn it into a character with a beating heart, a roving eye and an ability to bring the world to its bonnet without ever turning the ignition.
Directed by Nick Jones with cinematography by top car man Tim Green and sets illustrated by Emma Rios, the film features a cameo appearance by British star of the silver screen Emilia Fox, as well as other PENCIL friends and family.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/30099362 w=700&h=420] Beautiful documentary on downhill speed skating in Teutonia, Brazil. Very rough roads. Very very fast. Very very very big cojones.