so there's a few new videos today, but the two in question are the trailer to a movie called 9, and the short film on which the upcoming movie is based on. when i saw the trailer (the first of the two) i thought it was cool, but i lumped it in with just about everything else tim burton has been involved with such as sweeney todd, corpse bride, batman, edward scissorhands, nightmare before christmas, coraline, and sleepy hollow, just to name a few.
while these were all good flicks, they all had an unmistakable consuming stench of tim burtons black beret. while they had different stories and character elements, i couldn't help but think for the majority of these movies that i was going to see cameos of other tim burton characters show up miraculously as if they were all part of some twisted halloween movie marathon (the scores for the majority of these movies being composed by danny elfman doesn't help either).
but when i found out that it was based on a short film written, directed, and animated by shane acker i couldn't help but get a little excited. you'll see what i mean when you watch the short film directly below the trailer. while ultimately i'm disappointed that tim burton is even involved in this movie in any other way than simply writing a check, the fact that acker is directing the movie is a definite plus.
i feel like this could also be a semi-redeeming role for elijah wood who voices the title character. i say semi-redeeming because it seems for the last 5 years he's pretty much stayed behind the camera doing voice-overs for characters like spyro, animated frodo baggins, and other such nonsense. on the other hand this character seems like it could bounce him out of the kiddie category (barely) by at least voicing a character with some cojones, allbeit animated and made of cloth, but cojones nonetheless. overall i must say i'm pretty excited about 9, and as long as acker keeps the reigns and holds true to his short film, i think he can stave off the monochromatic tones that make up the doldrums of tim burton and his movies.
p.s. i realize there's still time, but as of right now, i'm extatic to say that johnny depp is nowhere near this film.
3.23.2009
3.22.2009
how to win friends = common decency
in forced awkward intimate situations, people tend to revert back to certain established and learned comfortable phrases to keep the conversation going. why we do this is something altogether confusing, considering if you're not even 30 seconds into the conversation and already can't think of something to say, babbling through the small talk that consists of pre-recorded questions and pre-recorded answers to those questions isn't going to get anybody anywhere.
ever heard this one before?
"hi i'm ____"
"my name is ____"
"so what do you do?"
"oh i'm a ____, you?"
"yeah i work in ____"
"cool"
and you're back to square one, the only thing we've established is how we pay our respective bills. following this little opener, we realize that we now actually have to try to get to know this person, and the conversation continues as if our opener had never happened in the first place, but for some reason we have to have that boring intro into our lives on the off chance you might have a similarity in job description or you know someone in their field, either of which would put you in exactly the same place you'd be anyway, having to actually converse.
while i realize this isn't exactly the circumstance under which normal interactions begin, i thought it noteworthy enough to mention. while accompanying my girlfriend to church this morning there was the typical 'take a minute to greet those around you' time period to kick things off. while most of the patrons were simply turning round in circles shaking hands with those next to, in front of, and behind them, i witnessed one woman walk across the aisle and 2 rows back to greet some friends sitting next to me. the interaction went as follows:
woman approaches with unnaturally large smile
shakes the hand of someone while telling them her name
upon hearing their first name, without waiting for a last name, immediately asking "what do you do?"
end of conversation
now i wouldn't have really thought twice about it if she hadn't done it to three people in a row, as if it were an interview or some sort of public survey. the manner in which the question was asked couldn't have been less personal, and the question itself isn't exactly heartwarming or eye opening. getting to know your fellow man, or woman in this case, isn't just about going through the motions. it takes effort, time, and a genuine willingness to learn. there is certainly, as this case holds to full example, a difference between allowing someone else to talk about themselves, and actually divulging no information about yourself and immediately moving on.
so if you plan on making the giant leap to actually interacting with strangers, as scary as it may be, please put in some effort.
ever heard this one before?
"hi i'm ____"
"my name is ____"
"so what do you do?"
"oh i'm a ____, you?"
"yeah i work in ____"
"cool"
and you're back to square one, the only thing we've established is how we pay our respective bills. following this little opener, we realize that we now actually have to try to get to know this person, and the conversation continues as if our opener had never happened in the first place, but for some reason we have to have that boring intro into our lives on the off chance you might have a similarity in job description or you know someone in their field, either of which would put you in exactly the same place you'd be anyway, having to actually converse.
while i realize this isn't exactly the circumstance under which normal interactions begin, i thought it noteworthy enough to mention. while accompanying my girlfriend to church this morning there was the typical 'take a minute to greet those around you' time period to kick things off. while most of the patrons were simply turning round in circles shaking hands with those next to, in front of, and behind them, i witnessed one woman walk across the aisle and 2 rows back to greet some friends sitting next to me. the interaction went as follows:
woman approaches with unnaturally large smile
shakes the hand of someone while telling them her name
upon hearing their first name, without waiting for a last name, immediately asking "what do you do?"
end of conversation
now i wouldn't have really thought twice about it if she hadn't done it to three people in a row, as if it were an interview or some sort of public survey. the manner in which the question was asked couldn't have been less personal, and the question itself isn't exactly heartwarming or eye opening. getting to know your fellow man, or woman in this case, isn't just about going through the motions. it takes effort, time, and a genuine willingness to learn. there is certainly, as this case holds to full example, a difference between allowing someone else to talk about themselves, and actually divulging no information about yourself and immediately moving on.
so if you plan on making the giant leap to actually interacting with strangers, as scary as it may be, please put in some effort.
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