Christmas Starts Now

Christmas does indeed last twelve days and ends on January sixth, or the Epiphany. That's when the wise men showed up.

Grandpa Walrus (2017)

« Grandpa Walrus » is an animated short film by Lucrèce Andreae. It was selected to compete for the Short Film Palme d’Or in the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Audience Award in the 2017 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the César for Best Animated Short Film 2018.

------------------ SYNOPSIS ------------------

On the windy and cloudy beach, Granny is praying, Mum is shouting, the sisters don’t care, Lucas is alone. Grandpa was a weird guy, now he’s dead.

The Green Beret (Stephen Hillenburg, 1991)

R.I.P.

Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the end of World War one. It was also the day Douglas Rain died.

If his voice seems slightly familiar to you, it's because he was HAL in 2001. Here's some of the other work he did. A bit over thirty minutes, but worth watching, or at least listen to, during lunch.

Will Vinton (1947-2018)

A sample of his and his studio's work...

Now THAT's love

"This year marks the 76th anniversary of the Warner Bros.’ The Dover Boys at Pimento University, an experimental theatrical short directed by Chuck Jones that pushed stylized animation in new directions."

Honestly, I was trying to figure out if the guy who did Mr. Cat had done any work on the new TMNT, based solely on Leonardo's smile, and found this instead. It's some great work.

Wee Timorous Beastie

There is a rat that lives at the station where I catch the train to work. I see it, sometimes, run out from under the platform and along the rail, then back again.

I had no idea my little furry friend has been tasked with such an onerous quest.

Anime Hell at AWA 2018

Fall is here again and that means it's time to gear up and get ready for JAPANESE ANIME HELL at ANIME WEEKEND ATLANTA!

Start walking now and you might make it to the Galleria in time for this special late-night HELLA-SPA-LOOZA sandwiched in between a special TOTALLY LAME ANIME and an extremely special MIDNIGHT MADNESS.

It's all part of the 23rd annual ANIME WEEKEND ATLANTA, the Southeast's number-one anime fan event. See you there!

R.I.P. Burt Reynolds

Some gems....

NEPHTALI (2015)

Just a nice interlude at lunch.

The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg

If you are near Fort Worth, TX and have a chance to go see this exhibit, please do. It's a fair bit of fun and photography IS allowed (as long as there's no flash). I was talking to one of the museum staff about that. Ten years ago, it would not have been allowed. Today, it's practically encouraged, to get people excited about the art, to share their experience, to encourage others to do the same.

During the exhibition, June 10 through September 16, the Museum will offer half-price tickets on Sundays and free admission on Fridays.

Worth it. Totally Fort Worth it.

Ask if Forgetital is right for you.

A little shout-out to a local ad-creator.

Good video: bad news

Welp, it looks like we won't be doing AnimeFest this year, and for that, you can blame my renter who very nearly set my house on fire. Keeping all my worldly possessions from going up in flames kinda occupied my time and I missed the panel submission deadline.

"But you're an AnimeFest  institution!" I hear you say. "Why do you still have to submit for a panel?" That's very sweet of you, kindest aural hallucination I've had this year, but rules are rules and even we have to follow them.

"Can't they make an exception, just for you?" Oh my god but do you know what kind of floodgate that would open? No, they can't. And I don't expect them to. There was a deadline and we missed it. Plain and simple. In happier news, I no longer have a guy in my house who doesn't know the difference between a stegosaurus and a triceratops, or the difference between an on oven and one that's off. These things balance out.

Think of it this way: just imagine all of the awesome stuff I'm going to find for you during this time. I mean, you are going to lose your flippin' minds when you see what I have in store for you. Why, there's so much amazing stuff out there, I haven't even found it yet.

But I will! Next year! Trust me. We'll be OK. I'll keep you posted.

Anime Hell 80's Night at Eyesore Cinema

Hey gang, Anime Hell returns to Eyesore Cinema's back room screening room Saturday July 21 for an evening of 80s OAV excitement with three of Japan's best Original Video Animations! Plus 80s trailers and assorted 80s videos to make this an 80s evening that will be like the 80s never went away, which I suppose for some people they didn't. 

The fun starts at 8, admission is only three bucks, and we'll have drinks and water to keep those dehydration demons away. See you Saturday! That's Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor St West, Toronto Ontario Canada! 

Rah Rah Woozy (1980)

The Jay Ward pilot you probably hadn't even heard of before!



Director: Lew Keller Animation: Phil Duncan, Ben Washam Voices: Paul Frees, Daws Butler, Bill Scott, June Foray Theme Music by Dennis Farnon Produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott Executive Producer: Ponsonby Britt, OBE

No snacking between meals

I am just, mad hungry right now. Looking forward to lunch.

Tank (2018)

Bonus Clip!

Monday morning horror

Nothing went according to plan.

meet me two weeks ago in Atlantic City

And we're back from Atlantic City! Thanks to every one who came out to our show at AnimeNEXT and thank you to AnimeNEXT for having us! Sure, there was a fire alarm during the show, but nobody got hurt, that's the important thing.

AnimeNEXT is a great convention with a tight focus on Japanese animation and a commitment to bringing in knowledgeable speakers and guests who can confidently hold forth on topics like Japanese culture, religion, and hamburgers in anime. Atlantic City is a walkable, tourist-friendly town that welcomes the anime nerds with open arms and hey, it's only a train ride away from Philadelphia, which is only a train ride away from NYC or Baltimore!

What did we show? It was a big agglomeration of Hell hits past and present. We had an East Vs West Cartoon Showdown, we dropped some Heidi on you, we went to Mars and Beyond, we Brought You The Head Of Charlie Brown, we visited Warm Winter Canada and listened to the memories of a Girl Who Became Ugly Studying Abroad In Canada, we watched Mazinger Z battle Devilman, we got clean with Fist Of The North Star, we saw Kenshiro battle Great Mazinger, we took a ride in the Death Van, we learned about shoplifting and what to do on a date and fire safety and we met Bishoujo OL Hayakyu. And much more!

Now remember, when you hear the alarm, evacuate the building in a calm manner, and look for the Toynbee tile between the Starbucks and the Forever 21.

-Dave M

EXTRA (1996)

Hitting every note there.

A-Kon after report

You never know which one is going to get the biggest reaction. I had a lot of other stuff that I knew was going to get them yelling, but this one really hit a nerve this year. Glad I grabbed it this morning.

Honestly, I thought the Akira Awaken trailer would get more, but it was met with (stunned?) silence. I like to think folks liked it, and was told it gave someone chills, but I should clarify that's a fan-made trailer and not anything official. Although I do hope people at least enjoyed it and we'll need more feedback on that.

Ah! What a show. The playlist wasn't in the playlist. Everyone was on top of their game. The A/V crew was very helpful in getting the projector and screen moved to the middle of the room and the mics down on the floor with the tables, and even came by with another projector during a contest to see if that would solve our little problem.

Because every so often, the projector would lose the signal.

I fear this one is on my end. Danno was always cursed by technical difficulties and he's decided to haunt us a bit. I might have to burn that hell money this weekend. ALL OF IT. The fault is most likely the HDMI/VGA converter I have used a total of three times. I mean, I still have the little plastic protector for one end. I'll be testing that this weekend. Still glad I brought it, or we'd have no way to connect to the projector in the first place.

I think, really, the only thing anyone missed was the VW Engineer Fight and a Little Baby's Ice-Cream ad, but the audio on that one came through and it's disturbing enough with just the sound. I had to restart the Mario's Cart for everyone, because that is just too good.

The guys from NinjaHELL! sat mic with us and kept the energy high. We even got some set-up help from some guys we met in the elevator on the way up and they're dedicated fans now. Lots of new faces this year and a lot of people came up later to ask where we'd be and where were were online.

With the name change, we're going to need a new eye-catch to play in the background during the contests. The possums eating bananas worked, but we're trying to be a little more professional here, right?

Still, a very good show and a very good audience. We do the show for you because it makes you happy. You being happy makes us happy. We should all be able to take a little bit of time and be happy with other people. I hope you all had a nice day.

Have fun.
Stay safe.
Be kind.

Prince Planet with Steve Hart (Local Chicago TV, 1974)

The reasons for having kept that odd recording tucked away in an attic!

FUNSHINE SATURDAY SNEAK PEAK (ABC-TV, 1974)

AnimeNEXT AnimeHELL

This Friday night in Atlantic City NJ as part of AnimeNEXT, it's my first trip to the Jersey shore with Anime Hell in tow! If you're in town for the convention and you can drag yourself away from the blackjack tables please attend AnimeHELL!!

Also for your entertainment Shaindle Minuk and myself will be presenting the following panels: 

Otaku Hell show A-Kon, Saturday June 9th

Saturday night, 11PM. We'll be in this hotel again, the Sheraton.

Only, this time, we'll be in the Magnolia. On the other side of the building. 

TIE Fighter (2015)

Animation: OTAKING77077/ Paul Johnson
(approved by OTAKING https://puu.sh/uHbZJ/967e9aefaf.png )
SFX: Starwars: Battlefront DICE/Electronic Arts/LucasArts
Music: SW: Rogue One/LucasArts

This Friday - Animazement Hell!

Once again, it's time for Hell to be unleashed at Animazement, this Friday, May 25th, at 9:30pm in Ballroom AB. Can the Southeast withstand the onslaught? Can you?

Brush: A Fox Tale (2018)

An animated short film by Willi Anton & Faustina Arriola

A painting fox has a crush on his neighbor. When he tries to hide it his other paintings come to life to try to convince him otherwise.

Produced at California College of the Arts 2018.

It May Be Anime Hell

It's May and that means Anime Hell is coming, or may be coming, to an anime convention near you!

First up is Ryan Gavigan and Anime Hell/Midnight Madness at Anime Central!

Anime Central's Hell Madness starts at 10pm in the Main Events - the Rosemont Ballroom - on Friday May 18!

Then - the very next Friday, May 25 - it's time for Anime North's own Anime Hell!

Canada's Anime Hell happens at 10pm Friday in the TCC North Main Ballroom, as part of the Anime North convention!

Yes, the mid-continent reels under the impact of these twin Hell assaults, barely days apart. Will humanity survive? Only time will tell.

CPF Reviews # 8: Stranger Things and the 80s Nostalgia Wave

CPF presents its newest video essay on the "good old days" of the 1980s, and why they're so popular today.

Ah, He's Sick (2018)

AH, HE'S SICK from Yugo Limbo ( YUGSLY ) on Vimeo.

An instant classic.

R.I.P. Bob Dorough (1923-2018)

R.I.P. Harry Anderson

A consummate showman.

March of Dimes Telethon 3/3/1979

From the Upper Peninsula jungles of Michigan in the late 70's...

We require big savings

The Entertainmart on Cooper in Arlington is closing this weekend. The final day is Saturday.

I dare anyone to go over there in costume and try to re-enact this scene.

R.I.P. Fred Crippen

Fred Crippen (1928-2018) Animator, Designer, Director.

Born in Michigan, he attended Michigan State and served in the Marine Corps before moving to New York City, where he worked for Shamus Culhane Productions and UPA-New York. During a layoff, Crippen earned some money by repainting the UPA studio. In 1955, he was invited to join the Burbank studio and work on The Boing-Boing Show. Crippen animated and/or directed many of the most distinctive pieces on the show, sometimes in collaboration with Ernest Pintoff, Jimmy Murakami, and John Whitney. In 1958, Crippen left UPA to form Pantomime Pictures, which created television shows and commercials for over fifty years.


And since I know you only came here for THIS, here you go!

Nothing will match this moment.

This is the greatest thing I have ever found in my life. Ever.

Yes. It is real.

On Your Mark (1995)

"The production of the music video began because Miyazaki was suffering from writer's block on Princess Mononoke and needed another project to distract him." [*]

Well, that's one way to deal with it. Burn through that block!

Robotech College Fan Amiga Animations

Sometimes, I can't win

This is not what I was looking for.

Well over twelve years ago, I found a brilliant mash-up of "Koyaanisqatsi" and Underworld's "Cowgirl". The video managed to distill the climax of the film to half the running time and still keep the major themes of the film. It had a kickin' track and was downright awesome.

And then it was gone.

Since then, there have been a couple uploads of a very low quality copy of said video. (Either of those links will do.) You'll see the editing was much tighter, beat matches were better, and it's all-around a better piece. The only problem is, it's terrible quality.

When I'm digging around looking for videos for the live show, video quality is one of my tripping points. It might look fine in a little box on your home PC, but it's going to look like total crap on a big screen.

Granted, this is a pretty long piece. I've been trying to keep clips to less than three minutes for shows, as that's long enough to get the point across without getting tedious. I've always imagined the show to eventually use Sesame Street style pacing: in, out; no fuss, no muss. Slap the brain about a bit and then move on.

Now, story time:

Long ago, a buddy and I went to see a live performance of Koyaanisqatsi. That is, the film would play while the Philip Glass group would play the soundtrack live. There's one little part during "The Grid" sequence (the climax of the film, really) and my buddy was suddenly looking at me and I was suddenly looking at her because both of us were having Sesame Street flashbacks. We talked about it later. She'd never seen the film before, but she knew that bit and it poked a part of my brain I'd obviously not used for a while. It's always startling when something like this happens, so I wanted to share that with you.

The Song for Rain (2016)

Very sweet. Happy vernal equinox.

RIP Bento (2009-2018)

He will be missed.

Iron Giant 2.0

Only Slightly Exaggerated

Based on actual events. More or less.

Credits:
Written and produced by Wieden + Kennedy 
Animation by Psyop & Sun Creatures Studio 
Performed by Oregon Symphony 
Composed by Jim Dooley

Don't let it overcome you

You're better than that.

The Fox and the Whale

It's been a hectic week for me, and maybe you as well, so here's a slow and quiet piece to calm things down. Full screen, headphones. Don't think about anything. Just relax and let it wash over you.

DEATH VAN (2017)

DEATH VAN (animated space-rock adventure) from Michael Enzbrunner on Vimeo.

H/T Dangerous Minds for finding this one.

Squirrel & Hedgehog: The ENGLISH Version!

Best Korea's famous multi-episodic epic adventure is now finally on YouTube in English!

Bud Luckey (1934-2018)

 Rest In Peace

Disney Family Album: Ward Kimball (1984)

A look at a legend!

I hope no one is inspired by this

I know there's only about three or four people who read this blog who will get the joke here, but I'm going to post this for them.

I am so, so sorry.

The Story of Tetris

Really love this in-depth documentary on how this game came to the West!  Hope you have an hour to spare!

A good way to relax

It's nice to have someone to come home to.

Eyesore Hell After-Action Report

It's been a week or so and the dust has settled from Anime Hell Night at Eyesore Cinema in Toronto.  So, how did it go? We had a standing room only crowd, we had coffee and donuts, and we had two solid hours of Anime Hell classics mixed with new clips, specially tailored for the discriminating Eyesore audience.

The crowd was made up of different segments of Toronto fun-seekers - Anime North attendees, local bad-movie aficionados, a few curious fans, newly arrived Torontonians and people who had lived in the neighborhood for years, yet hadn't visited Eyesore yet.

A special thanks goes out to The Silver Snail - 329 Yonge St - for posting our Hell flyers, and of course thanks to Eyesore Cinema - 1176 Bloor - for hosting our evening, and to Adam Riot Thorn for PR, prizes and ballyhoo!

I predict we'll be back in Eyesore's back room with even more screenings, so stay tuned!

-Dave

The Story of Yatta!

Sally (a.k.a. "Clock Man", 1976)

Based on the Story "O Páradivé Sally" by Jan Vladislav
Animation by Ilja Sainer
Music: Jirí Stivín
English Narration: Pearl Peterson
Camera: Jasoň Šilhan
Screenplay, Design and Direction by Dagmar Doubková
©1976 - Krátký Film Praha

Anime Hell Night at Eyesore Cinema in Toronto

it's a new year and that means it's time for a new Anime Hell event! We're bustin' out of the anime con scene and into one of North America's last remaining bastions of video rental madness, Toronto's Eyesore Cinema. Put on your boots and join us at 8pm Saturday, January 13 for a special show in Eyesore's screening room!

That's Eyesore Cinema, 1176 Bloor St West! See you there!