Anime Vérité
Revivals are part of our cultural tapestry. It’s common and even respected for today’s crop of artists to look to the past for inspiration or to pay well-deserved homage to our imaginative forebearers. Fine art, design, fashion, architecture, music, theater and especially film reap the benefits of the cyclical nature of fads and genre, made modern through visionary hands and cutting-edge technology. Planet of the Apes, notwithstanding.
Animation has long been one of the most time-honored forms of filmmaking. From the earliest of line-drawn shorts to the proliferation of world-class studios like Disney and Pixar, animated storytelling has propelled audiences into the surreal kaleidoscope of our imaginations. And as we continue to realize new styles and reinvent the old, our animated fantasies are surprisingly appearing more and more real.
Today kicks off San Francisco’s 4th Annual International Animation Festival, a 5-day showcase of the newest offerings in both commercial and independent animation at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema. Opening the festival this year is the long-awaited adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic Fantastic Mr. Fox [above]. Director Wes Anderson brings together the voice talents of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Willem Dafoe and Anderson-regulars Owen Wilson and Bill Murray in an impassioned play to rekindle our childhood memories.
The festival spotlight seems to shine brightest, however, on the contributions from abroad. Mamoru Oshii, whose credits include Ghost in the Shell and scripting Blood: The Last Vampire, brings Japan Edo period to life with Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai, the story of the origins of the Niten Ichi-ryu, a legendary form of Japanese sword-fighting.
My pick is Sweden’s Metropia, a haunting vision of a future rife with corporate domination and self-induced paranoia. The hyper-realistic animation, steadily becoming the favored style choice among Hollywood animators, is only part of the draw here. Director Tarik Saleh weaves a socially conscious story of a carefully-controlled society in a world running dangerously low on oil. Just keep telling yourself, it’s only a movie.
—Michael
Check the San Francisco International Animation Festival homepage for a schedule of events and showtimes. Festival screenings at Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema.
Share
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
:: 
Fancy That: Tautou No. 5
There’s nothing like your first crush. And if you’re anything like us, you crush hard and often. This is where we pay homage to all things worthy of lusting after.
Watch the Chanel No. 5 commercial with Audrey Tautou here.
Sara fancies The City of Light and all things quintessentially Parisian. And nobody manifests impressions of Paris better than Coco Chanel and the French actress we fell in love with as quirky and charming Amelie, Audrey Tautou. Every time the new Chanel No. 5 commercial comes on, I feel transported to a fairytale land where the scent of a woman and the romance of a train ride have the power to make lovers out of strangers.
Of course it’s no coincidence that Ms. Tautou is gracing the small screen with her presence in association with Chanel. She is the reincarnation of the legendary mistress of fashion design in the feature film Coco Before Chanel, directed by Anne Fontaine and released just last week in the U.S. Give yourself a spritz on the wrist, catch the flick, and remember “fashion fades, only style remains the same.”
Share :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::
Fancy That: Thirst
There’s nothing like your first crush. And if you’re anything like us, you crush hard and often. This is where we pay homage to all things worthy of lusting after.
Michael fancies the new Korean vampire thriller Thirst. You can’t deny the allure of vampire lore these days. HBO’s True Blood and a certain teen juggernaut that just won’t quit are proof enough that we are suckers for these seductive bloodletters.
Director Park Chan-wook’s latest foray into the macabre and uniquely disturbing follows the story of a priest who’s forever changed by a radical medical experiment. By the looks of the trailer, fans can expect all the gore and provocative sex that typified his earlier work in the vengeance films and Oldboy (rumored to be getting the Hollywood treatment via Will Smith and Steven Spielberg, of all people). Robert Pattinson, meet your master.
Thirst opens in San Francisco next Friday, July 31st at Landmark’s Bridge Theatre (3010 Geary Boulevard, near Blake Street).
Share :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::
Opening Doors for Artists
Bay Area denizens frequently muse (and are sometimes bemused) that Academy of Art University is the real estate magnate of San Francisco. Regardless of where you stand—likely with an AAU building in sight—there’s no mistaking that, while the school has many doors around the city, AAU also opens many doors for thousands of artists every year.
This Saturday, June 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., AAU is opening its doors to the public and showcasing the award-winning works of graduates from all 14 of the school’s majors. The school is welcoming current, former, and prospective students; potential employers; and art lovers alike to this free daylong reception.
To attend the open house in person, please RSVP here. The event will be held Saturday, June 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 601 Brannan St., San Francisco, 94107. (View map.) Admission is free to those who register for the event.
Image credits: Vartika Vikram, School of Fashion; Dallyn Zundel, School of Fine Art: Illustration; Atsuko Morita, “How Many Dickheads Does It Take to Screw a Country?”, School of Photography (yes, with a lovely trick of the “one-eye,” this Bush portrait comprises thousands of tiny dick heads). All are graduating students of Academy of Art University, Class of Spring 2009.
— Kay
Share :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::
Fancy That: Zach Quinto, as Spock or Not
There’s nothing like your first crush. And if you’re anything like us, you crush hard and often. This is where we pay homage to all things worthy of lusting after.
Kay fancies Zachary Quinto, as Spock or Not, ever since viewing the latest installment of the Star Trek franchise three weeks ago. While conventional Hollywood wisdom [sic] would have us pining for the movie’s central ragamuffin stud muffin, Quinto’s Spock, whose chilly cerebral demeanor hums with the undercurrent of sensitive superhero, doubtless raised the regularly placed eyebrows of many an unsuspecting audience member. To quote Anaïs Nin, who knew a thing or twelve about the stylishness of sensitivity in sex appeal, “please do not mistake sensitivity for weakness.”
Hear, hear to the new brand of leading man, pointy ears or not.
If you haven’t seen the new Star Trek film, please do. If you’ve already seen it, kindly refrain from repeat viewings in theaters; this girl needs herself some ZQ on DVD, PDQ. Pause, rewind, repeat. [Image courtesy of www.reelmovienews.com.]
Share :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::
Hauntedly Ever After
Call me a traditionalist, but I’ve always preferred the more old-fashioned modes of film-making. We’ve made some amazing advances with the advent of digital photography and CGI, true, but there’s no substitute for realism. As schlocky as it may have come across the first-time out, Jabba the Hutt was just infinitely creepier before he got the digi-treatment. With all due respect to Mr. Lucas, there was no magic without those puppets. I might be fighting a losing battle here, but something tells me Jim Henson’s got my back.
Now the Portland-based animation studio LAIKA is set to bewitch me and a myriad of other believers with Coraline. We are invited to follow the story of a young girl who discovers a secret door to a parallel world with spooky similarities to her own. Coraline promises to deliver the tried and true grass-is-always-greener parable in unusual nightmarish design. Director Henry Selick is the visionary mind behind the cult classic “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” But, this time out, he’s taking his audience on a more interactive ride with 3-D. Selick looks to “expand the other world, draw people into the screen.” An enticing ticket, no question.
For a limited time, The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco is showcasing a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the intricate world of the LAIKA art department. Browse through production stills, illustrators’ concept sketches and an impressive array of real puppets. This is silver screen magic at its up close and personal best. It may not be the next Muppet movie but Coraline looks certain to become a classic all its own.
Coraline opens in theaters Friday, February 6. The Art of Coraline is on exhibit through February 15 at the Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission Street, SF. Open Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-5pm. (415) 227-8666.
—Michael
Share :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::
-
About
Culturcosm is your online authority on the climate of trend throughout the Bay Area. Your roving reporters are taking to the streets and chasing down the real story. Be it stormy or serene, torrid or just plain tragic, we will break it down before you hit it up. Stay tuned. There's a new trend breaking every minute.
-
Contact
General Inquiriesinfo@culturcosm.com
Michael, founder / editor-in-chiefmichael@culturcosm.com
Kay, founder / contributing editorkay@culturcosm.com
Sara, trendcaster / managing editorsara@culturcosm.com
Heather, social commentatorheather@culturcosm.com
Taylor, music trendcastertaylor@culturcosm.com
-
Friends
-
Blogroll
