Late Night Drawing Salon, March

I didn't stay that long at the drawing salon this month, Melissa and I had a pajama party to go to. Ha!But I did get one decent drawing in before we left to go play twister.

Wild Things trailer looks AWESOME!

I loved this book as a kid and I think Spike Jonze is gonna do it justice! I cant wait to see this!

Monsters vs. Aliens

I got the chance to check out Monsters vs. Aliens last night at an advance screening in Hollywood thanks to some friends at work. It had some fun characters, lots of action and tsome great stereoscopic 3D effects. Some of the gags made me groan, but overall, the story moved at a good pace. I think kids are going to love this one.

There was a Q&A with the director and animation director after the show, and I got to ask about the challenges associated with animating for a film shown in 3D. The answer? - 3D made it harder to cheat the action for the camera, and that characters' eyelines had to be spot on. They went on to talk about the decisions they made as far as the story and scope of the film was concerned and what other challenges they faced during production.

So if you are in the mood for an action/scifi monster movie in 3D,the film comes out friday.

Where the Wild Things Are - First Photos

I just caught this on firstshowing.net which has a whole group of photos released from the Spike Jonze directed version of "Where the Wild Things Are". Theres many things that I'm excited about in this film, but the best part is the Wild Things. I'm glad they decided to use guys in costumes, rather than trying to do it all with visual effects. I mean I like cg as much as the next guy (obviously) but some things are better left to reality. The faces are animated though, which should make for a very convincing look. So go check out the photos and article on Firstshowing!

Life in Technicolor

I've been loving this song lately.. Its an extended version of the song on Coldplay's Viva la Vida album.

Watch the Watchmen!

Over the weekend I went with a few people to check out the Watchmen. We saw it at the cinema dome at Arclight Hollywood, which was a cool experience in itself. That theater is huge! Anyway, theres been a lot of opinions thrown around about this film from the very beginning of its production. It was deemed unfilmable and even scrapped after a few false starts. Its based on a very influential graphic novel of which I read the majority. So coming into the film I had the perspective of someone familiar with the characters and the themes from the graphic novel but also the curiosity of a newcomer. The real question was how do you make a film for both groups of viewers? The ones who want to see their beloved comic book come to life true to form, and those who just wanted to see a super-hero movie. In the end, I think it was difficult to satisfy both. As a movie goer, I really actually enjoyed this film. I think its easy to get caught up in the back story of a film production and miss the point of movies in the first place - entertainment. I decided to put aside what I knew about the film and just come into it with an open mind. Sure some parts could have been better. The subtle nuances of the novel's subplots are lost, and certain performances leaving you disappointed. If you just sit back and enjoy the visual aspect of the film and invest what you can into the characters, (Rorsach was great!) then you will enjoy this film more. I would say to go see it despite what you've heard. Yoou might be surprised.

New UP trailer..

Every trailer Pixar releases for Up just seems to get better and better. Check out the animation on the dog in this newest trailer. They nailed it! Cant wait for this movie, it looks great.

Matt & Kim - Daylight

I heard this song a couple months back on KCRW here in LA, and meant to write down the name. Of course I forgot. Luckily I ran across it today while looking through upcoming shows at the Henry Fonda Theater. These guys are playing with Cut Copy later this month, but unfortunately both shows are sold out. Good to see that people are still paying to see good music. Sucks that I didnt find out about that show sooner. But hey, I remembered the name of that song I loved on the radio. Here it is:

Late Night Drawing Salon - February

I had a chance to attend the Late Night Drawing Salon in downtown LA a couple weeks ago, and this is the result. I heard about it a while back and finally made the time to head down there to check it out with Lindsay. It was really awesome. Its a figure drawing salon run out of a loft down town just off the 10 in strip club country. Its a $10 suggested donation, and they have a bar setup along with a DJ. Its held once a month or so and its great practice. I can wait to go again. More info on events like this can be found at illustration.org.

Terminator Salvation Trailer

Just saw this trailer for the latest terminator installment. I have to say - it looks better than I expected. I might have to go check this one out.