Coraline - Book vs. Film

In February, 2009, LAIKA animation studio will release their puppet-animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. Directed by "Nightmare Before Christmas" alum, Henry Selick, the film promises to be action-packed, colorful, Americanized (with Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher) voicing the title roles, and artful. Plus an additional scrappy little-boy character to bring in those scrappy little-boy audiences. Fans of the book are already freaking out.

Trailer


I just read the book this week (in two nights). Gaiman's novella is a horror/fairy tale and Coraline and her parents are more like archetypes than full-on characters. So you can insert your thoughts and feelings throughout the eerie narrative. It makes for a deeply personal and mysterious process, deciphering the weird parallel world that Coraline finds herself on the other side of the door in her living room. Some fans of the book have criticized the upcoming film for being bright and bouncy, but fans: have you ever financed a feature-length animated puppet movie? It better be bright and bouncy and make all its money back and then some, or you're going to be in between jobs for a long time.

Having just watched (again) "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory"the other night, I can understand the fear: this book, so great, must never be trivialized by another creator's inferior vision. But even a flawed film can stand on its own and provide a message just as compelling. Gene Wilder, the ultimate Willy Wonka, voiced it well when he said of the film (paraphrasing), "Children understand this story. It's a moral tale about limits. Children want to know the limits." Gosh, I loved him in that movie.

Coraline, the book, is an art form that lets you read into it whatever you will. What is the evil that Coraline must defeat and what, ultimately, does it want from her? You make the call, and be engrossed and have the creeps while you do so. The film? It looks amazing. And I love that Teri Hatcher looks kind of the same as herself as "the other mother." I'm a sucker for animated puppets.

Update: Laika Films finally released a creepy trailer. I knew this would be coming out at some point. "Coraline" will open the Portland International Film Festival in 3-D on February 5th at 7:30 p.m.


Here's a short trailer made by Milanese BonsaiNinja Studio for the book that follows its aesthetic a little more closely. Have your cake and eat it too.

Recession Buster #1: Basketball in the Park, Plus Bonus Sunset

It's an official recession and we're all hurting. I'll be posting some Recession Buster tips throughout this trying time to help alleviate bleak thoughts and loss of hope.

On Saturday we headed to one of our local parks which happens to be in front of the East Precinct of the Vancouver Police Department. Perhaps it's the safest city park in the U.S., I haven't read any studies on it. Anyway, like many of Vancouver's parks, it's really nice. Hats off to the Parks & Rec Department. We shot some hoops (Jackson practices every day at school and it shows) and then the sky did something awesome: it burned like fire but only visually.

It was such a jaw-dropping sunset that I almost felt I was showing off, just standing there watching it. Like, hey, look at me! I'm watching the world's most intense sunset, right here above the police station! Whoo--I'm so great!

Nature's bounty and basketball--that's value for your dollar. These are from my camera-phone, which could never capture all the intense fieriness, but it did a decent job for having a lens the size of a small nail-head.









If you're a resident of Vancouver, WA (district 4), the East Precinct will be hosting a community forum tomorrow, Tues., Dec. 8, at the Firstenburg Community Center from 7-8 p.m.

Happy Anniversary Happy Anniversary Happy...

Yes, it's our 11th anniversary today. Gosh.

Thanks to Keith for:

• marrying me;
  
• being kind, funny and intelligent;
  
• being tall (good reach);
  
• being a great dad;
  
• and last but not least, being good-lookin.'

Traditionally the 11th anniversary is celebrated with a gift of steel. I better go shopping...

How about a lovely bouquet of steel roses? The ad copy reads [edited for clarity and punctuation] : A wedding anniversary is special--birthdays happen automatically but wedding anniversaries are a benchmark of marriage success! [can't argue with that--I guess...] The traditional anniversary gift for the 11th anniversary is a present made from steel! What could be better on your eleven-year-anniversary than a gift of steel-wool flowers?

This company also makes roses in leather, aluminum and fruit. That's taking traditional anniversary gift-giving too far!



What about a bag of steel pennies? Nothing says "love and commitment" like a sack of money on your anniversary. Only $24.98.






Well, I guess we'll just celebrate with a serenade of Magnet and Steel by Walter Egan, who I conveniently blogged about earlier this week. When Keith was around 12, he read a Walter Egan interview in "Rolling Stone" in which Walter Egan declared that it was "The Year of Walter Egan." Keith immediately knew this was bullshit, and he was right. That's one of the reasons I married him. He knows what's what.

Mavericks' Perfect Days - November 29th & 30th, 2008

Today SFGate had a story by Bruce Jenkins about last weekend's perfect storm-free surf at Mavericks and here are the photos by Frank Quirarte to prove it. Mavericks is off the coast of Half Moon Bay, Calif. and surfers fly there from all over the world (mostly Hawaii and Australia--they're surfers, after all) to surf and compete when the waves are just right. Generally the coast of Half Moon Bay is foggy, cold and damp but as you can see, the sun was out, making these 20-foot waves look like something out of ancient Japanese paintings.


Frank Quirarte co-runs the Mavsurfer Web site and he's taken some amazing photos over the years, but I think these are his best, and that's saying something. If you go on the site's photo gallery and click on 2Days@Mavericks you can see more. Disclosure: he's my cousin and I call him Frankie.

Powerlines Productions - November 29, 2008 at Mavericks. From the upcoming film, "Ride-On," showing at the Red Vic Movie House in San Francisco, December 19-23.

"Punk Attitude," 2005

Directed by Don Letts, "Punk Attitude" is a fine documentary about the history of punk rock. Starting out in the 60s & 70s New York City scene of grit, poverty and dissonant sounds, crossing over to England for the British punk rock explosion and U.S. invasion, then finally winding its way towards the West Coast for a bit of the hardcore scene, the East-Coast no-core sound, and Nirvana, melding everything that is excellent about punk rock into one big international world take-over.

It ends in a fizzle of confused elder punk-rock statesmen and women, trying to explain the youth-of-today (of 2005) and their commodified love of Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit, the election of Bush, and acceptance of the Iraq War. The middle-aged interviewees, such as Leggs McNeil, Jello Biafra, Henry Rollins and Tommy Ramone can't quite make sense of it all. But the times are a-changin' as we'll no doubt see soon enough.

With very little fanfare, a conscious decision was made in editing to feature many close-ups of women singing and playing with their bands right alongside the men. Don Letts, I commend you for your low-key approach. There's great shots and interviews with members of The Ramones, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, with plenty of male writers, poets and producers, AS WELL AS Siouxsie Sioux, Chrissie Hynde, Ari Up of the Slits, Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex, and female filmmakers, photographers and commentators for good measure.

There's an extra "Women in Punk" segment on bonus disc 2 and the whole thing gave me a warm, fuzzy, punk-rock feeling. It was a moment in time when so many creative weirdos got together, formed bands and put themselves out there, creating a new art-form. It was especially liberating for women, who, as noted by Slits co-founder Ari Up, had yet to create their own look and sound without the interference of SOME MAN (her words) telling them how to do it. I grew up listening to much of this music and it's formed me into who I am today. Here's a few screen-shots of the trailblazing women in "Punk Attitude."

Patti Smith, along with Iggy Pop and the Stooges, The Ramones, The New York Dolls, MC5, and a few others, including Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground, are all given credit where credit is due. Several of the men interviewed admit to being in awe of Ms. Smith and that hasn't changed much over the years.
Tina Weymouth, bass-player for Talking Heads in a zoom shot I could barely capture.
Debbie Harry and Blondie--so very cool and timeless.

Siouxsie Sioux who had never sung on a stage before she co-founded Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Ari Up and the Slits.
Hey, it was their idea to pose like this for their album, "Cut"--Now a collector's item!
Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders. She's interviewed throughout and makes a good link between the U.S. and London punk scenes, since she was living over there at the time.

Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex. She admits to toning down her femininity so she could could tell her band how to play her songs.

Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth keeps on keeping on.
Special X-Ray Spex Section

I especially love Poly Styrene who was all of 18 when she formed X-Ray Spex and screeched (in some kind of new key) "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!"


The Day the World Turned Dayglo


Identity


Mike Long dances to I am a Cliché

I am a Cliche from Mike Long on Vimeo.

1970s Radio-Roundup Tuesday

Sometimes while driving I'll completely give up on new music and switch to the oldies station. There's much to be said about the craftsmanship of old hit radio songs, even if you're sick of them, or haven't let them permeate your consciousness for a couple of decades.

At some point, a song will come on that I haven't heard since I was a child and all kinds of wheels and gears will turn in my brain, forming a number of random opinions, having nothing to do with whether the song is "good," "bad" or even if I like it. I'm glad I have this ability to think about music in terms of how it's put together and what it "means" in terms of musical expression. It's only since I reached my 40s that I'm able to form any kind of intelligent opinion about music at all (sorry, anyone who read my music reviews of the early 80s--it was all instinct and gut emotion on my part). I don't know if it's because some part of my brain just woke up one day not too long ago, or it's a combination of my years of music listening and playing coagulating into one big thought-process brew. Heady.

Anyway, the 70s kicked ass for radio hits. The era also produced some really regrettable embarrassments, but if any of the following songs come on while I'm driving around—they will stay on 'til we reach the end, even if I have to sit in a parking lot, listening for another minute or so. They all share some excellent production values, intense emotional feelings, and weird dynamics that have everything to do with the 70s, yet have outlasted that era on a some mysterious musical level.

Walter Egan - Magnet and Steel, 1978. Egan and Stevie Nicks had an intimate relationship around this time and he wrote this song with her in mind. That's her singing backup although the video features a stand-in lip-sync'er. Because I finally own a car with decent speakers I noticed for the first time today that there's a toy piano plinking away under the chorus. Egan claims producer Lindsey Buckingham was most likely behind the piano, which was a SchoenHut toy piano played by Steven Hague, who went on to produce Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, The Pet Shop Boys, Jane Wiedlin and Dusty Springfield. The Internet: font of knowledge.



Pretend you're me, sitting in a car, listening to this and thinking, is that a toy piano...? Is Buckingham undermining the emotions experienced by his former girlfriend and her new singer/songwriter boyfriend, with a plinky little toy? Probably.

Sniff'n'the Tears - Driver's Seat, 1978. One hit only for this British band, but people love this song for its fresh sound, predating new wave. The reverb on lead vocals is well-used, as is the queer little synthesizer flourishes throughout (I use "queer" as a synonym for "odd." Why didn't I just use "odd?" Sometimes only the word "queer" will do).



Gary Wright - Love is Alive, 1976. Sure it is. The genius behind Dream Weaver could not hope to recreate his radio hits in a live show, but this live clip is awesome nonetheless. Hand-held synthesizers and a cowbell-playing backup singer wearing a silk wrap will always work for me on some entertainment level. Studio version is below. His soul's like a wheel that's turning because his love is alive. Believe it.

Don't Drink and Do Christmas

These were actually taken by my six-year-old, after visiting Santa and tickling a talking tree sponsored by the Vancouver, WA Rotary Club. But I like to think of this series as a public service announcement about drinking too much at Christmas time. Do you want your wholesome and beautifully appointed tree festival to resemble THIS? I didn't think so.




I'll post about real things, or semi-real things after my parents leave tomorrow. It's hard to visit and post because computer stuff is really anti-social when there's actual people in the house with you.

I Am Thankful For...

...a loving, sane, rational, funny family.



...that survived the 70s, mostly intact.
...the natural world.
...food and good health.
...friends, music, creative insanity.
...our new First Family. Thank you for being intelligent, pragmatic and thoughtful!
...high-quality entertainment.

...low-quality entertainment.

...www.

Slinky - A Retrospective

This week, Betty James, the co-founder of Slinky, died at age 90. She and her husband, Richard, started James Industries, which eventually created the beloved toy that walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, and makes a slinkety sound. Richard would leave his wife and six children to join a cult in Boliva, but Betty carried on; a single mother, running a company that would eventually sell, according to her obituary, hundreds of millions of Slinkys. Hail, Betty James and the Slinky--a spring, a spring, a marvelous thing.

Slinky, 1960s - The classic that made you want a two-story house so you could walk your Slinky down the stairs.


1970s - Dig that green, shag rug. It's like the stairs are ALIVE.


More 1970s - I have one word for you, "Plastic."


1980s - Slinky gets size-conscious.


source: SFGate

"Chinese Democracy" Sends Crowds Rushing to GNR Cover Band

People are still so enamored by the classic Guns N' Roses sound, that Mr. Brownstone, a GNR cover band made up of members of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Boss Tweed, and Takka Takka, appeared on David Letterman last week. Sure, why not?


And in related news, Axl Rose's 13-year project, "Chinese Democracy" was released yesterday (but only on MySpace and at Best Buy, its only distributor). The band on the CD is listed as Guns N' Roses, but accept no imposters. There's only one Guns N' Roses (see cover band above).

-PopDose reviewed "Chinese Democracy." Big thumb's down.
-The Seattle Times review: Not worth it.
-Rolling Stone claims, "It rocks!"
-Chuck Klosterman says that Axl did a good thing here.

This heavy-metal moment was originally sourced from the Urban Outfitters Blog.

Hip Hop Ladies, as seen in Bust Magazine

I managed to snag two issues of "Bust" from my local library this week. They're ALWAYS checked out. June/July '08 with Amy Sedaris on the cover had a very informative and timely article by Callie Watts on female hip-hop acts. The last time I listened to women rappers was about 4,000 years ago (not counting M.I.A., recently). Here are three lady MCs from the article. To read more, check out the magazine section of your library and hope for the best.

DJ Blaqstarr & Rye Rye - Shake it to the Ground. Out of Baltimore comes 17-year-old Rye Rye (unless she's had a birthday since last summer). Much more uplifting than the fourth season of Baltimore-based "The Wire," which I just finished watching last night (sob). Rye Rye is a dancer--you can tell. She just toured with M.I.A. which makes her the coolest teen-ager in recent pop history.


Kid Sister - Pro Nails, featuring Kanye West. OMG--this is the best idea for a music video ever. I could look at custom nails all day. From Chicago it comes.


Yo Majesty - Club Action. Christian lesbians from Tampa, Florida. This is badass with lots of swear words and techno beats interspersed throughout. Not your typical Christian music.


Bust blog

"Spaced" for the easily amused

Being unemployed isn't all bad. I've had time to think about my life's direction, where I'm going, what I want to do with my time on Earth. And watch "Spaced," British' television's finest sitcom (along with "The Office").

I can't embed, but you can click and watch. Think of it as fulfilling your commitment to quality entertainment. Starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson as a acquaintances who pretend to be a married couple in order to meet the rental requirements of an affordable London flat. This is from season one, "Art." My favorite so far.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3



For playing the slacker so often, Simon Pegg is anything but unemployed.

Model Train at the Conservatory of Flowers - how much charm can we take?

Golden Gate Park visitors: head over to the Conservatory of Flowers to see a G-scale model train wind its way through the plant-life, passing by miniatures of San Francisco landmarks made entirely out of recycled materials. I'm not making this up! Photographic proof:





Video evidence here. "The Golden Gate Express" will run through April 19th. Little trains at Golden Gate Park! Life is good.

Source: Train exhibit a labor of love for Cal professor, SFGate.
Photos by Paul Chin/The Chronicle.

"Serenity" 2005

It's hard not to picture George Costanza's father yelling his famous mantra, "Serenity NOW!" when contemplating Joss Whedon's epic space adventure. And by epic, I mean the journey it took from being a prematurely cancelled television show that didn't last a season, to big-budget movie screendom (well, $40 mil.--not very big these days--you definitely see every penny on the screen).

And who was responsible for this amazing, unheard-of journey? Certainly tenacious visionary, Joss Whedon, and his financial backers, but also the fans. The fans rallied on the Internet and got Universal to sit up and take notice. Imagine a movie exec. slumped in his chair, suddenly bolting upright and saying, "HUH? Wha-?," then signing a big check made out to "Joss Whedon's Sci-fi Production."

The amazing journey: Buffy, Angel, Firefly (did you watch it on Fox? I always forgot when it was on, then it wasn't anymore), and finally the Firefly movie, "Serenity." I was a big Buffy/Angel fan. I'm a proud owner of an Angel action figure even with its disappointingly fragile and breakable sword. I'm not saying "Firefly" didn't deserve to be a successful series. There was obviously a fan base ready to commit to the concept of "Outer Space Western," but despite the support, the movie tanked in theaters, making just over half of its money back. It apparently did well when the DVD came out, but with an ensemble cast of (good-looking) unknowns, and a Han Solo-ish premise (outer space renegades, living on the fringes of a totalitarian planetary society), it wasn't able to draw the big crowds.

Ideally, monetary gross is not an indicator of quality. I had to think about whether or not I liked "Serenity" for a few days. I didn't mind its potentially confusing flashbacks and back-stories, and the cast plays a well-rounded group of archetypes with deadpan, smart-alecky Whedon dialogue throughout. But it's DARK. And violent. And INTENSE. This was a bit off-putting. What's with the impalement? Whedon has a thing for this that I never want to experience again. I don't like seeing psychotic cannibalism and impalement in the same movie. It's too much for me. I'm not a delicate flower, but there's some things I don't want to see (or hear) in the name of entertainment.

Otherwise, this is a sort of thinking-fan's sci-fi action film, with some weird, amusing old-timey dialogue (Whedon was obsessed with the Civil War when he created the series), and a main guy, Mal, who's a rebel and a loner. There's strong women characters, and some very balletic ultra-violence by willowy Summer Glau, who plays the psychic teen, River. A tiny, fighting-mad woman with special powers, impalement, endless imagination, scrappiness against all odds--you got your major Whedon themes and it's all happening in OUTER SPACE. What's not to like? And now:



















Trailer