Diehard Pixar fans, you have been warned; I am an old-school animation fan, so of course I have my own personal critiques on what is being done nowadays.
Recently, I rediscovered a love for animated movies, which I used to watch often in my adolescent youth. Just to let the reader know, I am not a fan of "modern" animation of the new "digital age," nor the repetitive re-hashing of old disney/hollywood formulas, or the insanely ridiculous number of sequels which now seem to be all the rage in American film studios such Land Before Time XIII [2007] (Land Before Time 13, for you Roman Numeral illiterates)
All in all, I believe that rather than focusing on the heart and beauty of visual storytelling , the use of CGI(Computer Graphic Imagery) is now overdone and overpublicized; also the "story" and characters have become completely one-dimensional and "cleaned up" to the point of superficialty and total lack of artistic value.
I recently finished watching The Great Mouse Detective, The American Tail, The Secret of NIMH, Robin Hood, The Rescuers, and little bit of Bambi. Right now, I am watching Plague Dogs- a European, animated film about 2 canine test subjects whom escape from the lab and attempt to survive off the wild and are soon sought after by their former captors as a growing number of sheep are killed and rumours spread that they are potential plague-carriers.
Plague Dogs particularly challenge the common misconception that animation is meant only children. Considering the subject material, the makers of the film do anything, but shy away from the graphic cruelty done to animals for the man's "benefits"(loose term)
I love animals and do not see any cause to view them as inferior to ourselves. While I am not going to go into a ranting of self-righteous political propaganda about the experimenting on animals, I hope to someday make a difference in fighting animal abuse.
Monday, January 5, 2009
The Last Written Words of Jimi Hendrix
The story of love is quicker
Than the wink of an eye
The story of love is hello and goodbye
Until we meet again
The passage above was found by Jimi Hendrix's the morning after his death on September 18, 1970. Originally it was thought to be a suicide note, but upon a closer looked to be the lyrics of a song Hendrix was composing.
The passage is lyrical, haunting, and beautiful, stemmed from personal disappointments, which stemmed from the era he lived in. After all, he was adandoned as a baby, was expected to always give the same knockout performances he would give from the beginning of his career rather than accepting that he was a musician who needed to expand his horizons. It also seemed that aside from fleeting romances, he didn't seem to find the love that he longed for all his life. Supposedly he said that if he did not marry and start a family soon, that his death would become imminent.
Personally I don't believe that Hendrix's overdose was a result of suicide. I believe he wanted to live longer and see what direction his life would turn. He probably didn't know that the result of his death would be the birth of a legend in music and popculture history.
Than the wink of an eye
The story of love is hello and goodbye
Until we meet again
The passage above was found by Jimi Hendrix's the morning after his death on September 18, 1970. Originally it was thought to be a suicide note, but upon a closer looked to be the lyrics of a song Hendrix was composing.
The passage is lyrical, haunting, and beautiful, stemmed from personal disappointments, which stemmed from the era he lived in. After all, he was adandoned as a baby, was expected to always give the same knockout performances he would give from the beginning of his career rather than accepting that he was a musician who needed to expand his horizons. It also seemed that aside from fleeting romances, he didn't seem to find the love that he longed for all his life. Supposedly he said that if he did not marry and start a family soon, that his death would become imminent.
Personally I don't believe that Hendrix's overdose was a result of suicide. I believe he wanted to live longer and see what direction his life would turn. He probably didn't know that the result of his death would be the birth of a legend in music and popculture history.
Jimi Hendrix: Musical Patriot
I'll never forget Hendrix's unforgettable performance of Wild Thing. The Who may be the band whose signature is wreaking havoc on stage during the youth of their career, but the blazing guitar of Jimi Hendrix is the first of these onstage "rituals" I have seen and will always remember. I saw another incident which reciprocated this event which took place, which was his last tour. I believe it was during the 1970 Cry of Love tour Hendrix incited his pleas of love through his music onstage only to be booed by the crowds because he didn't set his guitar on fire or tear the stage apart.
I was saddened to see Jimi Hendrix trying to appease the restless people in midst of the madness of the Vietnam War; a cause which Hendrix, himself, used to believe for security from oppressive invasion of China; he believed that the war would help the war especially the US, but he changed his standing when he saw how it was affecting the country. Hendrix, being a pacifist, preached to the people that rather than give in to the chaos, they should embrace each other with love. However, the counterculture had ended and the nation no longer believed in "love and peace."
The link below talks about Jimi Hendrix and the impact that his rendition of the Star Bangled Banner during Woodstock. http://www.jimi-hendrix.com/magazine/502/502,features,nationalanthem.html This version of Star Spangled Banner went down in history and is one of Hendrix's most memorable performances and made me think of the national anthem in a different light. When questioned about it on the Dick Cavett Show, Hendrix summed up his pride in one statement, "I am an American so I played it."
I was saddened to see Jimi Hendrix trying to appease the restless people in midst of the madness of the Vietnam War; a cause which Hendrix, himself, used to believe for security from oppressive invasion of China; he believed that the war would help the war especially the US, but he changed his standing when he saw how it was affecting the country. Hendrix, being a pacifist, preached to the people that rather than give in to the chaos, they should embrace each other with love. However, the counterculture had ended and the nation no longer believed in "love and peace."
The link below talks about Jimi Hendrix and the impact that his rendition of the Star Bangled Banner during Woodstock. http://www.jimi-hendrix.com/magazine/502/502,features,nationalanthem.html This version of Star Spangled Banner went down in history and is one of Hendrix's most memorable performances and made me think of the national anthem in a different light. When questioned about it on the Dick Cavett Show, Hendrix summed up his pride in one statement, "I am an American so I played it."
Intro to My Music
My favourite genre of music is rock. Personally I don't know much about it. I can't even "classify" the songs I listen to in the "correct" subgenres. Just as much of the music from the 60's have been meshed into various groups such as rock, blues, pop, etc. Rock and pop are supposed to seperate genres yet performers such as Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, The Who, typically classified as rock, performed at the Monterey Pop festival alongside Janis Joplin, The Mamas and the Papas, and the Grateful Dead, etc.
From then on, I gave up. Although through this, I run the risk of being called "ignorant," which I abhor, so be it. Personally I don't care about the subgenres; it doesn't deafen my respect for 2 of my most admired musicians: Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Honestly, I don't know all their songs; in fact I can only recall about 3 each. I don't keep posters of them splattered all over my bedroom walls. I don't dress like them nor do I bring them up in every conversation, actually I only recall bringing up each performer only one time.
There are some bands with good songs, but go completely downhill after the peak of their success, such as Guns n' Roses, Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, etc. Which is why I base my like/dislike for a band in 2 ways: a couple of memorable songs, and the essence of the musicians, themselves. If they have interesting personas and play with their heart and soul, then they have my eternal respect and gratitude for entertainment and inspiration. In my next couple of blogs, I am going to pay tribute to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, 2 of my favourite musicians: their work, untimely end, and the legacy they left behind.
From then on, I gave up. Although through this, I run the risk of being called "ignorant," which I abhor, so be it. Personally I don't care about the subgenres; it doesn't deafen my respect for 2 of my most admired musicians: Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Honestly, I don't know all their songs; in fact I can only recall about 3 each. I don't keep posters of them splattered all over my bedroom walls. I don't dress like them nor do I bring them up in every conversation, actually I only recall bringing up each performer only one time.
There are some bands with good songs, but go completely downhill after the peak of their success, such as Guns n' Roses, Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, etc. Which is why I base my like/dislike for a band in 2 ways: a couple of memorable songs, and the essence of the musicians, themselves. If they have interesting personas and play with their heart and soul, then they have my eternal respect and gratitude for entertainment and inspiration. In my next couple of blogs, I am going to pay tribute to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, 2 of my favourite musicians: their work, untimely end, and the legacy they left behind.
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