Stop Motion Extravaganza!

I caught this on the Sundance Channel a few nights ago. It's called Madame Tutli Putli and is a stop motion animation about one woman's surreal trip on a train across country. I was extremely impressed with the quality of the puppets and animation in general, though I'm sure a little CGI was used to smooth out the flow of movements. What I liked most were the expressive eyes of all the characters and the bumpy textures of their skin.




I didn't really understand the ending but I think it's worth watching for all of the creepy backdrops and colorful characters.

This is the moment where she meets a famous tennis player who is a very rude man! A man like that deserves a crisp slap across his face!

These two men are playing a wobbly game of chess while sitting in their suitcases. Another wonderful moment.

So this got me thinking that I have to plug two other favorites. I know I've mentioned this one before but it's definitely worth re-mentioning. Peter and the Wolf (2006) is a modern stop motion adaption of an old composition by Sergei Prokofiev.

"Boys like Peter aren't afraid of wolves." Awesome.

I've always had a fixation for wolves. The Bog Bad Wolf is my favorite fairytale villain and I've dated several guys because they were wolf-like (bad idea in the long run). The wolf from this tale will not disappoint. He's mean and scary and has a coat of beautiful, alluring fur.


Don't you just want to pet that lovely beast and keep it in your home as your companion?

Look at Peter's wonderful face. An example of some very fine sculpting.

This is an older live action version of Peter and The Wolf that I used to catch on the ARTS channel back in the day. It's narrated by Sting (as a puppet) and is a combination of Barnum and Bailey and nightmares from childhood. My favorite elements are the Marx brothers-esque hunters, the alcoholic duck, and the giant frightening wolf puppet with it's long, lolling tongue. To my delight the first chunk of it is available on youtube. Watch it and bring lots of joy to your eyes!

The past two weekends have been stimulation overload for me...but in a good SummertimeinChicago kind of way.

Trump Tower

I spent Saturday night in Trump towers with my good friend Sheena and my new friend Sam. We were on the 23rd floor in her deluxe suite and I couldn't fall asleep because I was deftly afraid of sleeping in a room so high up.

A king size deluxe suite at the Trump. Roughly what Sheena's room looked like.

I imagined the room splitting in half and me plunging 23 three stories below to a poisonous river death, clad only in my pajamas. I guess this means that I might be afraid of heights which makes sense considering that I've lived in 2 or 3 flats my entire life.


By the way, Artistic Liberties recently posted an extensive interview with yours truly. Read it to find out all about my humble beginnings!

Anyway, it's my bedtime. Happy Monday!

P.s - I saw a lady reading a book on the train today entitled Give Us A Kiss. I know that has to be some kind of sign. Just not sure what it means.

I've had a very beautiful day. After waking up and stretching and of course having my necessary bowl of Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, I headed to the library with one very obvious thing on my mind-books...lots of them! I must say I was not disappointed by the library's selection, especially in the comics realm. So dear readers something useful to remember is: whenever in doubt about buying a comic book, hit up the library first! I found a pretty decent and recent selection of books there.

One comic/manga I found is called The Aranzi/Aranzo Hour. Originally published in Japanese but translated in English so all the Americans can now enjoy it's awesomeness. The cast of characters include a fish named Fish, two nondescript guys named Bad Guy and Liar, a dog named Terry and two bunnies that to eat cake and take naps (which reminds me of me and my closest friend from school!)

The Complete Aranzi/Aranzo Hour

Melting Spritekin- Aranzi/Aranzo Hour

After my lovely time spent at the library, I headed to the cemetery.

No, I don not have a death wish...it's just like going to the park, except much more interesting architecturally. I strolled around, soaking in the greenness and all the headstones and before I knew it, I was locked in!! Lovely, huh? Luckily a young goth couple got locked in too and asked the caretaker nicely to let us out....

Surprisingly nice goth couple.

I rounded out the evening with going to the movies!!! A sort of recent habit that's been developing over the summer months and I have to say I enjoy going to the movies by myself. No having to put up with annoying conversations during the flick with your friend. No having to worry about getting mauled when the lights go out (j/k). Just quiet peacefulness with yourself in the dark in front of a big screen. You can even cry without feeling awkward about it.

I saw My Sister's Keeper, a semi-manipulative tear jerker about a family's struggle over a girl's cancer. I say it's manipulative because it was definitely tugging at your heartstrings but it was well done and Cameron Diaz surprisingly did a good job as the mom. Worth it if you enjoy emotional movies.

I must add, though that I did NOT cry. Even though I cried long and hard during each Harry Potter book. Ahhh, which reminds me- Harry Potter opens in two days! Go and see it so we could have something to chat about! <3

Fun with the drill press and stop motion animation

Worked in Blair's studio today. He was gone most of the time, tending to his sick dogs at home. It felt like me and the other intern were two little girls lost in a forest out of some fairy tale. There were wild masks and props all over and I was having so much sick twisted fun constantly drilling holes using the drill press. I mean, it was fun until I somehow managed to rub one of my knuckles raw and then proceeded to bleed on one of Blair's books. Thankfully, he wasn't mad. He actually thought it was amusing. It was nice to hear him laugh.

I talked to the other intern about various stop motion artists including Christiane Cegavske. She created this wonderful stop motion animation called Blood, Tea, and Red String over the course of 13 years!!! She has since created a creepy live action follow up called The Doll Maker and is working on a related stop motion movie. Some of her work:

Slice and Stitch

I actually saw a similar version of this painting which was actually used in the movie and I liked it better because instead of sewing her vagina shut, they were delicately painting a thin red line down the middle. The fact that they're cutting off her breasts, though does bother me. At first I thought they were just measuring them.

Little Red

I like this one because of it's blatant sexuality and that ALWAYS came to mind when reading about Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. I also recently finished The Book of Lost Things and in it there was this story in which Red Riding Hood seduced the Wolf and that is how Werewolves came to be. Freaky.

There is no time

I haven't been able to decide if she's sadly repairing herself or just making herself a costume. None the less, I love visible stitches. I used to work with this woman who had stitches tattooed along her body and I adored them. Maybe I'll get some tattooed some place discreet.

After watching this, and a lot of Svankmajer, I made this miniature scene based on Alice in Wonderland that has since been destroyed. Too bad I never got to finish it, but a few pictures still remain.

Can't see it too well but it's made out of an old wicker basket, there are hands coming up out of the ground holding a gold key and on the table are three playing cards (from the suit of hearts) and a glass of milk next to a sign that says drink me. Beyond the huge keyhole is a table with a tea set on top of it. I plan to rebuild it someday and add more things...including rabbit tracks. But, I think I'm going to make a pair of earrings first.

Giving thanks, Channel surfing, Salad, and Mark

Thanksgiving was good. I spent it at my Aunt's house with my Mother, Brother, and Step Father. Most of my Mom's siblings were there. I pretty much spent the entire time in my Aunt's master bedroom channel surfing... which was fine with me because I've been looking forward to doing nothing for a while...plus she has cable television which is a luxury we cannot afford at my house.

It was good to be around family but it was also very sad. Most of them looked so much older and smaller and it made me very aware of how temporary family gatherings can be. I have my Aunt's laughter stuck in my head.

What I Ate:
large amounts of wonderful salad
3 catfish fillets
Sushi
2 slices of chocolate cake
A slice of carrot cake
A slice of red velvet cake
tortilla chips

What I Watched:
3 part documentary on Warhol's Silver Factory
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Biography: Alan Alda
Biography: Melissa Gilbert
The Notebook (YES!!!)
Robot Chicken

I'm really losing my mind over this performance final. I had this set idea but after doing some research I feel my mind is changing. I'm still trying to figure out how to fight a stereotype while performing it...and if removing the "fourth wall" helps. Right now I'm just concerned about protecting myself, how I'll honestly feel when it's all said and done, and if I'll do a good job at conveying a message without being didactic or preachy.

I researched Mark Ryden the other day. I like his paintings because I feel like there is a very interesting narrative behind each one. I also like that he continues to use a set amount of symbols in his work like raw meat, Jesus, children, alchemy, Abe Lincoln, Satan, and rabbits. I tried to find an interview in which he explained some of his symbolism but all the interviews I found where silly and they asked arbitrary questions like, "What do you do for fun?"