arkratirma: (m16)
[personal profile] arkratirma
Yesterday was a lovely Thursday. Printmaking was busy but fun: we inked up our copper plates to produce drypoint prints on dampened paper. My hummingbird gryphon turned out well! My AP, or Artist Proof, print - a name given to any test print that doesn't turn out as well as it can - was light, but I wiped the excess Akua Intaglio ink off my plate very well. I'VE GOT INK-WIPING SKILLS!

Akua Intaglio is a very interesting ink, because its binder is honey. It's also water soluble, so if you don't wash your hands constantly, you get absorb all kinds of chemicals. Heh!

I made a second, darker print to turn in to Amy. My print got a lot of compliments - eeeee.

After class, I rode the MAX to Aurora's apartment. I got in before Grace could open the door for me, as someone who also lived in the complex held the door for me.

Thus ensued another wonderful hangout filled with movies and Taco Bell and copious amounts of hilarity.

Aurora and Grace were bent on introducing me to Ouran High School Host Club, which, I have to admit, is rather amusing. I've grown a lot since my "ANIME SUCKS!" years, and now try to look at new anime with a discerning eye for its quality of animation... or something like that.

Still, twincest is a more than a little off-putting. :|

I brought my Willard DVD for Aurora and Grace to watch, and I was pleased that they enjoyed it so well! Crispin Glover and rats; what could be better? Throughout the movie, Aurora and Grace were Awwwwwww-ing like crazy. XD

Aaaand that was just about my billionth* time watching Willard. One of my favorite movies. EVER.

*I've lost count of how many times I've watched Willard, so I substitute a more appropriate guesstimate with one that's flat-out ridiculous. Yay!

Aurora decided to send me home with The Cat Returns (as well as the third Cirque du Freak book, Tunnels of Blood), and I so look forward to watching it. I might tonight, after I tinker with my work more. (I've already redone my camera move for Maya, and have also added a bunch of placeholder trees.) Studio Ghibli films are always high on my Must-Watch list.

Grace had to head home shortly into Rock & Rule, which Aurora had been gushing over on Wednesday when the three of us got dinner at Cha! Cha! Cha's! I had never once before heard of Rock & Rule, but I can now say I want to buy it on DVD.

It's a bizarre 1983 Canadian animated film, set in a post-Apocalyptic world where humans have been wiped out, and a race of mutants evolved from dogs, cats, and rats. It's an epic sci-fi rock'n'roll saga and features original music from Debbie Harry, Cheap Trick, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and Earth, Wind, and Fire. Hot damn!



^ Still frame for the trailer above is of Mok, the ultimate rock god. He's pretty much the bastard child of Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie, and reminds me of characters from the animated sequences in Pink Floyd The Wall. Oh, and did I mention he's freaking awesome?

What stunned me most about this rare gem is its animation. I thought that some of it might have been rotoscoped, but I've checked articles on the 'net and none of them says anything about rotoscoping being used in the film. Folks, Rock & Rule displays some of the finest animation for its time of any animated film I've seen. The characters are fun, wild, and a joy to watch on screen. I found myself caught up with the sheer detail put into the animation: the secondary actions of characters' hair and clothing, the zany meanderings of their hands and wiggling fingers.... It's phenomenal.

Angel, the heroine, struck me as incredibly independent for a female cartoon character from the 80s; something truly remarkable then and even now. Omar, Dizzy and Stretch are plain fun, but Mok takes the cake for being one of the strangest and most captivating villains of animation.

ANYWAY, what this all boils down to is WATCH IT. It you're an animation fan, give it a try. It's serialized on YouTube! YOU KNOW YOU WANNA CHECK IT OOOOUT.

...Okay, I'm going to be bad and watch some clips from the film, then continue with my homework.

Oh, and here's a neat article I read on Rock & Rule, describing its odd plot, colorful characters, and sheer cult goodness: http://www.5x5media.com/eye/film/rockrule.php

Date: 2009-01-24 07:16 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] banka-flavored.livejournal.com
Rock and Rule! What an awesome movie :D its really superb, makes me miss 2D animation with such effort and detail put into it. I especially LOVE the invocation song that Angel sings near the end. Its hypnotic and crazy. And a plus is that Debby Harry does her voice which i am a HUGE fan of.

I also love The cat returns. You and the awesome movie choices :) If you like Rock and Rule though, i would recommend anything by Ralph Bakshi http://www.ralphbakshi.com/ some seriously mind blowing (and disturbing) stuff.

I also really want to watch Willard. But I'm scared of any scenes depicting rats getting injured. I know its fake, but the thought just pulls and emotional string with me like there is no tomorrow. I might have the courage to one day though.

Date: 2009-01-24 09:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] arkratirma.livejournal.com
It is! :) I hear ya on watching films like this and missing traditional animation; it's not as common these days, which makes little gems like Rock & Rule all the more fun and amazing. Debbie Harry's voice is so gorgeous throughout!

I just finished watching The Cat Returns; it's one of THE most beautifully imaginative movies I have EVER seen. The parade of cats near the beginning, all standing on their paws with their instruments... the stairway of crows formed by Toto's friends near the end... oh my gosh, there are just so many scenes that had me completely transfixed! I love Muto. :D

There are some scenes in Willard that are pretty graphic for rat lovers, or for any animal lover, really. Knowing what you've gone through with your darlings, it may be best to wait a while before watching it... though it is all effects, like you said. *hug* But the scenes where Willard cuddles Socrates are just so, so sweet; although it didn't do well in theatres, Crispin Glover's acting was praised a lot. And damn it, I wanted a rat SO badly after I watched it the first time! Aurora and Grace were just crooning over how cute rats are, and I agree with them. :)

Date: 2009-01-25 12:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] roary-rhian.livejournal.com
IIIEEEE i'm so glad you liked rock and rule AND Cat returns. (I just put up a cat returns wallpaper on my desktop) I love the baron. and tim curry as the cat king is just beyond awsome! :3

And yes, twincest is off putting to non-pervs....sadly i'm not one of those people XD But Ouran does have some brilliant animation/line work. And despite my teasing the twins DO NOT have a relationship like that. they just like to mess with people. In the anime and comic they both wind up falling for Haruhi which causes drama and forces them to sort of mature into their own indavidual personalitites. It's very interesting. but yes, hooray animation1!!!! :D

Date: 2009-01-25 08:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] arkratirma.livejournal.com
*big grin o' happy* I watched The Cat Returns in Japanese last night and just now finished watching the dub. This movie blows me away! It's so gorgeously imaginative and lushly executed. And I was SO amused when I learned that Tim Curry did the Cat King's voice, because I had no idea it was Curry while watching the dub. Dear God, that man's talent never ceases to amaze me! XDD

And I knew Muta's dubbed voice sounded soooo familiar: Peter Boyle! :'D RIP, you crazy-awesome comic king!

...I LOOOVE Muta. :3

AND TOTO. JESUS CHRIST IT'S MY FAVORITE ANIMALS ALL WRAPPED INTO ONE OMGWTFBBQ. Toto's bickering with Muta is wonderfully silly, yet not in the least forced or cheesy. <333

Ooh yes, indeed! The Baron gets much loves as well. Cary Elwes! :D

Hehe, I kinda guessed you may have been pushing the teasing. Lawlz, I'm used to it. The Ouran twincest isn't terribly off-putting, really - just more a plot to make the girls swoon.

The twincest in Dean Koontz's The Bad Place, on the other hand.... Hooooooly fuck.

PRETTY COLORS! :DDD

*huggles*

Date: 2009-01-25 07:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] roary-rhian.livejournal.com
XD!!! Yes! I know Muta and Toto are just soo cute!!! and yay cary elwes!!! yush i love him so much! <3 and YAY! Colors!!! @3@ <---danny face XD

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