Miwa Matreyek’s Glorious Visions.

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

From TED.com:
Using animation, projections and her own moving shadow, Miwa Matreyek performs a gorgeous, meditative piece about inner and outer discovery. Take a quiet 10 minutes and dive in. With music from Anna Oxygen, Mirah, Caroline Lufkin and Mileece.

MicMacs

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Everyone that knows me, knows it’s no secret that my favorite movie of all time is Amelie.  I personally think that the director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a genius, and can do no wrong.  You can recognize his style a mile away.  His movies are simply visually beautiful.  They almost represent a hyper-reality.  Colors are super saturated, things move fast, and zoom in close, and the characters always have exaggerated quirks.

I recently saw his latest movie, MicMacs, at the Pleasant Street Theater in Northampton.  It was uh-MAZING.  I left the theater completely blown away and wanting to watch it again instantly.  Of course it was visually stunning.  That goes without saying.  You fall in love with this lovable bunch of misfits, especially the main character, Bazil.  He’s quick, he’s sharp, and that’s not at all what people expect from looking at him.

If you’ve seen any of Jeunet’s other movies, you’ll also see a few familiar faces.

Here’s the trailer.  If you think this two minutes is phenominal, multiply that by 1000.

Lost Generation.

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

This video was submitted to the AARP contest “u at 50″.  The video can be read forward and backward, but completely changes it’s meaning.  Even though the video was second place, it is still awe inspiring.  Creativity is helping my generation develop a voice that will be heard.

Google Chrome.

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

By now, most of you have seen, or heard mention of Google’s new browser, Chrome.  This video, showing the features and advantages of Chrome is one of the most clever things I have seen as of late.  Instead of doing the obvious, showing you a digital step by step, which has, let’s face it, been done, many, many, many times before, the demonstration has taken on a role that is much more sculptural, and almost theatrical.

Where the Wild Things Are.

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

Everyone I’ve talked to is excited to see the new movie, Where the Wild Things Are, based on the book by the same name.  Most of the time, I would get on my soapbox on how the movie industry can’t come up with an original idea– that they just constantly remake books, movies, and television that has all been done before, but this movie brings a certain sense of nostalgia.  Which means I will probably see it.

When a new movie comes out, you expect to see the usual paraphenelia, T-shirts, posters, etc. with little thought given to the design.  Just splash an image of the main characters across the front, or the name of the movie in a fancy font and call it a day.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the Where the Wild Things Are items being sold through Urban Outfitters.  Thoughtfully designed, and not screaming with commercialism.  Items you can incorporate into your wardrobe or your house.

Bravo UO!  See all the Where the Wild Things Are items here.

Where the Wild Things Are Wall Art.

Where the Wild Things Are Throw Pillow.

Objectified: A Documentary Film

Monday, August 24th, 2009

I’m looking forward to Objectified, a new documentary made by the same folks that brought us Helvetica.

As described by the Objectified site:

“Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability.”

This film, will do just as Helvetica did.  Prove that design is all around us.

Movie Review: Away We Go

Friday, July 24th, 2009

Today I saw Away We Go at the Amherst Cinema. The movie follows Burt and Verona, a couple in their early thirties who are expecting their first child. They find out the baby’s grandparents will be moving to Belgium before the child is born, and the only reason they had to stay where they had been living is suddenly gone. They are free to chose where they want to live, and where they want to raise their child. They begin a cross country journey to find the perfect place, and along the way we are introduced to people who unveil all of the possible hang ups, heartaches, and eccentricities that one generation could have.

As someone in their late twenties, this movie really touched upon the anxieties and insecurities that are felt when you hit that certain point in your life, and begin to assess your journey. You wonder if you’re doing the right thing, or if you’ve somehow horribly botched the whole mess. You get nervous about making decisions and how they will effect your future. You begin to measure yourself by anyone and anything around you. You learn to value a sense of togetherness and community, however that comes to you. This movie did an excellent job connecting you to the characters. While I am not in their situation, I completely relate to their search.

This movie is an original screenplay by Dave Eggers and his wife  Vendela Vida; Dave Eggers having written great books such as A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, You Shall Know Our Velocity, and his newest book, Zeitoun. It also features a wonderful soundtrack, almost exclusively showcasing the work of Alexi Murdoch. I knew of his music before this movie, but hearing it in this context rekindled my love for him.