Serious Popcorn

April 2, 2010

George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, once quipped, "Creating a universe is daunting." This is true, as anyone can tell from a quick perusal of the book of Genesis. But for animators, being daunted does not pay. From the painstakingly hand-drawn classics of Walt Disney to the latest performance-capture and 3-D bells and whistles, the prizes in this realm go to the boldest, most obsessed visionaries. Animation begins in comedy, but by its very nature, it aspires to higher things.

I recently wrote about this for the Claremont Review, and if you liked Avatar in spite of its heavy-handed "message," I invite you to read the whole essay...

Continue reading Animation and Aspiration.

April 2, 2010 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 18, 2010

One of a Kind

If you have never heard Charlie Gillett, you have missed something. His 1972 book, The Sound of the City, is still one of the best books ever written about rock'n'roll during its formative years. And his website will tell you what an indefatigable and generous radio host he was to musicians from every continent (and the occasional author, as I can attest).

Gillett died yesterday, and while his obituar y is worth a look, his real legacy is all the terrific music he shared with the world.

March 18, 2010 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Archives

Serious Popcorn Where are the great films nowadays? Not in the cineplex, typically - or even the video store, more

Martha Bayles For several years I have been a vernacular (meaning not academic) critic of arts, music, media, and cultural policy ... more

Contact me Click here to send me an email... more

PRC Pop

The Chinese pop music scene is like no other ...

Remembering Elvis

The best part of him will never leave the building ...

Beyond Country

Like all chart categories, "country" is an arbitrary heading under which one finds the ridiculous, the sublime, and everything in between. On the sublime end, a track that I have been listening to over and over for the last six months: Wynnona Judd's version of "She Is His Only Need." The way she sings it, irony is not a color or even a set of contrasting colors; it is iridescence.

Miles the Rock Star?

Does Miles Davis belong in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame? Here's my take on his career ...

Essay Contest

Attention, high school jazz listeners ...

more trax

Edward Hopper

Painter of light (and darkness) ...

Dissed in Translation

Here's my best shot at taking Scorcese down a few pegs ...

Henri Rousseau Revisited

"Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris" appeared at the National Gallery of Art in Washington this fall ...

Paul Klee's Art