August 26, 2010

Satoshi Kon dead

I just learned from Same Hat! that Satoshi Kon, the director of Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, and Paranoia Agent, just died of cancer. At the age of 46. It’s heartbreaking and it’s a huge loss.

If you’ve never seen the work of Satoshi Kon, then I suggest you treat yourself. His work is “anime,” but unlike any anime you’ve seen. His characters have depth and his narratives are structurally adventurous. He is a filmmaker. Or was.

This LA Weekly article has a nice discussion of Kon and focuses mostly on Paranoia Agent, which you can view here.

January 15, 2010

yet more music: PJ Harvey

A live performance of one of my favorite songs off of White Chalk, “Silence.”

January 14, 2010

more music: Savina Yannatou

Here she sings one of my favorite songs on Mediterrannea backed up by her own ensemble, Primavera en Salonico, and the Orquestra Àrab De Barcelona. “Balo Sardo” means Sardinian dance, and Yannatou sings it in the original language.

January 13, 2010

musical discovery: Juana Molina

Argentinian TV comedienne turned singer-songwriter and one-woman band.

More here and here. And a little bio here.

August 5, 2009

keep showing up

In the dojo where I train in Aikido, there’s this running joke about revealing the secret of Aikido. The fact that what makes Aikido work–ki–is so mysterious and sounds so much like snake oil fuels this idea of some hidden truth. Yet in the end, we all know, and have been told repeatedly by our teachers, that the secret of Aikido is to be on the mat. Just keep training. And every once in a blue moon an Aikidoist will feel that pure connection, and have a feeling for what Aikido actually is. But that feeling is only possible if you are there on the mat.

I bring this up because the same is true for art. We all hope to create something wonderful, but the majority of what we make is pretty mediocre. But, if we are lucky, we have that moment when the stars align and the great work happens. Yet that is only possible if we put in the hours, if we keep showing up.

January 9, 2009

conversation

Commentary on fashion and commercialism? Surreal erotic dream? Bored art students with a video camera? You decide. Watch it at midnight after having seen some bad 80s sci-fi movies.

October 31, 2008

How Emmanuel Guibert does it

A slight aside here… I’ve always loved Emmanuel Guibert’s work, but always wondered about the technique he used. I thought he used some kind of resist. Or perhaps sprayed wet ink with water. But the following video reveals the truth. It’s amazing, especially since it’s all freehand, no penciling. I really want to get Alan’s War when it comes out.

June 14, 2008

Pencil Face

This was posted over at Insomnio, but it was so weird and wonderful, I wanted to link to it too.

January 18, 2008

Our Star Blazers!

We must be strong and brave!
Our home we’ve got to save!
If we don’t in just one year,
Mother Earth will disappear!

Then we’ll return.
And when we arrive,
The Earth will survive
With OUR STAR BLAZERS!!!

They never used the damn wave motion gun enough in the series. But that was kind of the point…

December 9, 2007

Street of Crocodiles

I hadn’t seen this for a few years. It’s one of the best films by the Brothers Quay. I love their work, but I have to be in the right frame of mind to see it. Like at midnight when I can’t sleep. It’s the same frame of mind I need to be in to view Tarkovsky’s Stalker.

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