WDCC: "A Loving Embrace"

"The tearful cries of the awkward little duckling have been answered by a graceful mother swan.
The beautiful creature encircles the baby bird with her comforting wings- and for the first time, the "ugly" duckling knows that he is not ugly at all."(Thats from the WDCC Catalogue)..Siiiiigh!
lol
This is brand new first release from new "Silly Symphony Series", and is from the Oscar winning Silly Symphony short called "The Ugly Duckling".
I love the reeds and how the grey strokes of paint on the swan creates a very "2D" effect, much like the original art that inspired this piece.

A Rosy Picture...Or Two?

Blatant Rip Off? Inspired? Homage?Nothing really like it??
Whatever be the case... i may be biased but i think the Original Beauty And The Beast poster from 2001 is far more elegant, with the silhouettes being more subtle ,giving dominance to the rose , a very important prop/symbol by itself in context of the film.

Beauty & The Beast :IMAX SpecialEditionin (2001 ReRelease Poster)

I Know Who Killed Me (2007)

In Theatres: "POTC3: At World's End" (Review)

I could very well copy paste my review from last year for POTC 2 and it would quite apply to this one too(and that would not be a bad thing).
People have been going on about how long and complicated and confusing it is...though i can see why they would say that, it dont stop me form endorsing this film.
This one is deffinately darker and has some cool swashbuckling Sp FX as usual. I thought the escape from Davy Jones' Locker and the Maelstrom battle was quite creative and cool.

Now days when all franchises are being milked to death with one sequel after another,i think its not a bad when the worst critisizm for this 3rd installment in this very "Original" franchise is that it has way TOO many ideas which havnt been devloped to their best possibities.
Honestly am sick of seeing bad super hero movies and the sorts.They rely on the built in fan base for a big opening and special effects with no real idea/story at the core.Summer movies dont have to be like that.
SO u can understand my preference for a film with too many(though not fully capitalised on) ideas over the former.

The probelm (i feel)with the last 2 Pirate films seems to be that they were rushed.Rushed to meet release dates and much of the story evolved on the fly.
Though this Trilogy is now over, if there r to be more POTC movies, i hope the writers get the time to hammer out some really well thought out scripts.These 2 writers seem capable and creative enough in my opinion.
SO far they have created a coolworld with very interesting and fresh mythology /characters, & i coudl really see future POTC movies being really terrific adventure movies if done the right way!
In a nut shell,after investing in 2 Pirate movies, the concluding part was a promise well kept.I was entertained and was very satisfied with the resolution.
And yes..do stick around till the end of the End Credits, for a short scene which works as a very nice book-end to the very first scene of the very first POTC.Its really amazing how that 2 min shot alone, kinda makes it clear who the whole trilogy was about.
Perfect end to this 3 part story.

Lisa Gerrard, Live In Toronto

Last weekend was a dream come true.I have wanted to see Lisa from the day i heard her for the first time.
She is not a very commercial/popular artist, so for those unaware...Lisa Gerrard used to be one half of a groundbreaking husband-wife band called "Dead Can Dance"(DCD).
After they split up, Lisa has continued having a great solo career with collabrative albums and doing scores for films (Gladiator with Hans Zimmer being the most popular).
I dont think i can compare her music or her voice to anything or any other artist that i am aware of.
Seeing her live was as fullfilliing, mezmerising and jaw dropping as i would have hoped(And having 2nd row seats wasnt too shabby either).
DCD used instruments and sounds from around the world spanning various ages and time periods with elaborate orchestartions.
Lisa predominantly used and continues to sing in gibberish,using her spectacular goose bump inducing voice as an instrument.
I know i am really plugging her here, but i think i owe it to her, She just makes me soooo happy!
So go discover her music, she has a new album out called "The Silver Tree" and also "The Best Of Lisa Gerrard", the former also has a few pieces from the DCD era.

Here are a couple of songs that she performed at the concert...the first is "Now We Are Free" ,which she wrote for Gladiator- and "Sanvean",one of my fav pieces by her.

**(I must appologise and warn about these clips.They have a very VERY annoying sound of me breathing at times. It seems the best view was near my eyes, and my nose happens to be in the same region and what can i say, seeing her perform 10 feet from u, it aint easy to breath normally.But its worth it, if u have slightly higher tolerance threshold)**

In Theatres: "Shrek The Third" (Review)

Was not the biggest fan of the original Shrek,but it kinda grew on me over the years.Though i did think Shrek 2 was quite good. I dunno what i was xpecting from Shrek 3, but after hearing only bad things online and 43% freshness rating on RottenTomatoes, maybe i reduced my expectations.
So when i went to see it, i was pleasantly surprised.I found myself being quite entertained, and i did laugh more than just a couple of times.The designs were as ugly as Shrek stuff usually is, but had some very nice animation moments , like the Frog King dying sequence!
Am not sure if this movie "needed" to be made.Cuase Shrek 2 advanced the plot considerably from Shrek 1 but am not sure if 3 acheives the same in terms of Character deevlopment, their arcs etc etc.
All said and done, it was a fun 90min(or whatver its running time)
and it did not create any strong reactions in me (postive or negative) to write anymore about it.

And :Shrek 2 is still the best Shrek movie for me
:"Meet The Robinsons", Best Animated Movie of 2007...so far
: Of the 3 major 3-quels of the summer (Spidey3,Shrek3,Pirates3), Shrek 3 is in the lead...so far

WDCC: "Delicate Dance Of Winter"

Finally , after months of searching, i got me one of these.
This is a numbered edition of ONLY 500 pieces , and hence ,is long gone and was tough to get my hand on.

Its by Kent Melton, and features the Frost Faries from The Nutcracker Suite of the 1940 Fanatsia.
The Frost Faries playfully are turning a lake into ice as a fallen autumn leaf begins to freeze over with icy goodness!

It simple but yet elegant in its delicacy and fetaures over 190 Swarovski Crystals.
Its a part of the grouping of the 3 pieces done in this series. This,"Delicate Dance Of Winter", "Celebration Of Spring", and a 3rd "Touch Of An Autumn Fairy", which i dont have...yet!
;-)

Loreena Mckennit LiveAt Massey Hall

have always been a fan of her melodies and her choice of instruments and their orchestration, but nothing could prepare me for the amazingly rich concert that she put on. No less than 9 members to the band , and some real cool instruments from around the globe, including some that i did not even know existed, like Kanoun, Uillean Pipes, Bodhran,Oud etc etc..it was just too cool.
She covered most of her big numbers and from her new album An Ancient Muse. If u havnt, u must try her out, wont regret it.
Here are a couple of my fav tracks, though these both r more instrumental based.
Marco Polo and Santiago.

In Theatres: "Spider Man 3" (Review)

I guess it must be summer! Its been a while since i had my intelligence insulted by a film.
With glaring plot wholes, boring, underdevloped characters SM3 really tests ur patience for the looooongest 2 1/2 hrs at the movies.
Specialy when the movie was being advertised as this explorations of this cool darker side of SM/Peter , inner conflict and all..and all u get is a shockingly ridiculous cheezzzy ,camp thing...u cant help but feel dissapointed.
Have nothing against cheezy, but if u gonna do it, do it well...like Moulin Rouge...its cheezy as hell but its a masterpiece!
Even the SpecialFx and stuff..nothing havnt seen before, a couple of scenes stood out, but other than that, way too many fast cuts with wrapped in an overload of sound effects,which leads me to think that even the director did not knwo what was happening in those shots.

Charcters seem so unmotivated, come and go , cry and do whatver they have to. It took 2 .5 hrs for the sand man charcter to say "i really did not want this" and he then just blows away!
after 2.5 hrs in hell, is that the climax/resolution i get??? come on!!
i dont even wanna talk about "Venom".. pretty dumb!
The film was struggling to find its style and the dumbest screenplay did not help.
I guess if Spidey 1 & 2 weren't good, i would not have been so disspointed with this movie.
A terrible waste of talent , time and money.

WDCC: "Spinning A Spellbinding Story"

This is one HUGE piece! Its 12 inches high and 10 inches wide! (surely the heaviest piece i have seen or own).
This is the 4th piece in my collection by one my fav. sculptors, Dusty Horner, the same guy who did "Trust In Me" and "You So Totally Rock,Squirt!".
The 3 mesmerized mermaids on the(amazingly well sculpted) rock in the middle of the Mermaid Lagoon are focussed on Pan and his yarns. The way the characters are posed , ur eyes are immediately drawn to Pan and his hand pointing out at into the open space and kinda makes the world at large a part of the sculpture. Which i think is very apt, considering the moment captured here is about Peter and his adventures and stories out there, in lands and with people the mermaids from the Lagoon will never really experience themselves, but only through his stories.
Perfect!
:-)

In Theatres: "Meet The Robinsons" (Review)

What? An animated movie about time travel and NO cute fuzzy bears, lions,penguins, fishes ,rats?No burping and other gass-y gags?An animated movie which is awesome but not by PIXAR?
Obviously, such a movie cannot exist, right? WRONG!!!!!!


Meet The Robinsons was the most satisfying "DISNEY" movie since forever.Though its subject isnt really new, but it seems strangely fresh anyways!
It has a pretty complicated story line about time travel and a story set in the past present and the future.Such time lines are often very difficult to write for, but to the credit of the director and the story dept. they do so without making the ending be either obvious or contrived.
The story has heart, some cool villian animation a few really unexpected surprises, a spectacular and satisfying(which is just so rare in movies now days, animated or otherwise) ending, a fun soundtrack by the likes of Danny Elfman and Rufus Wainwright. What more can one ask for?


I liked it more than most rescent animated movies, even more than last years "Cars" which was my fav last year.
And the whole see it in "Disney Digital 3D" thing.I saw the movie in both formats. The normal and the 3D. And i have to say, 3D wins hands down.
The 3D really isnt used hear as a gimmick with things coming out at you every 33 seconds just cause they can. The 3D is used to just enhance the experience and used in a very natural way. Making the experience visually immersive. And it works amazingly well. Makes you wanna watch ALL movies like this (am sure thats gonna happen soon , in 2 years tops).


And if you dont have enough reasons to go see it already, the 3D version plays a 1953 Donald Duck and Chip&Dale short called "Working For Peanuts" in 3D!!
OMG, traditional 2D animation looks sooooo gorgeous with those damn 3D glasses.Amazing flat multiplane-ing happening. VERY VERY cool!


I am glad to see Disney Feature Animation returning to form.So dont let a couple of bad character designs , ugly posters and misleading trailers hold u back. GO ahead and Meet The Robinsons TODAY!

WDCC: "It's That DeVil Woman"

Am so behind with posting my newer sculptures.
Here is one i got way back in January.
Cruella De Vil , in bed, talking to the Baduns,discussing the previous nights Dognapping and hatching her villianous plan!

The detail in this sculpture is just INSANE!

And i thought my place was messy!

Disney/Pixar's "Ratatouille"-Animation Test

Thnx to You Tube...Enjoy this before the "Disney Police" get it off...

Am so floored by the timing on this guy, so damn good!!!

A Birthday Comes But Once A Year...THANKFULLY!

Its here! On time, as always. No, I don’t have a Peter Pan complex nor do I crave a sip from the Fountain of Youth or Eternal Life or what have you.

So what do I have against birthdays?
For me, a Birthday brings with it a lot of pressure. Any other day, one goes through life, questioning anything and everything (if u lucky enough), from the mundane to the philosophic to the physical to whatever ur twisted mind can think of.
But for whatever reason, the questions that haunt u on ur birthday just seem to be innumerous in quantity, insurmountable in scope and surely some of the toughest ones ever.

Like: What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Who really loves me? Who doesnt? How will it all ends? Whom do I love? Can I love? WHAT is love? Am I afraid of death? What is life? How long before I am let down again? Can I trust them? Can I trust myslef? Why all this mediocrity? When will the excuses stop? What is this all about? Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Will this scar heal? Do scars really heal? Am I making the right choices? Are there really any choices? How can I make a difference? Is she still with me? What do I hope to achieve by putting all this on my blog? Who the f*@# cares? Etc etc..you get the point!:-)

Needless to say, most of these questions are pretty stupid, unimportant etc but that again is not the point.Is it??lol
And the beauty of it all is that like most questions, these too don’t really have answers.
But on any other day, u r more willing to accept that reality and move ahead and try to make the best of it and learn to ask better questions and hence answer the previous...

BUT BUT BUT...on the "BIRTHDAY",one does not have that luxury.Do they??

Come Birthday and suddenly there seems to be this deathly(no pun intended) pressure to actually ANSWER those questions already! The usual simple minded explanations that you usually give yourslef and so readilly accept,just wont work Today!
And obviously one cant answer them any better than they coudl have yesterday,

And so, hence , thus, it’s frustrating, annoying and sometimes depressing!
A simple enough logic,aint it?

SO do I hate birthdays?? Not really.
Cause there r many beautiful things about birthdays.Like, today is also the day my lovely niece, Anahita came into this world 6 years ago. And sometimes looking at her smile, hearing her wish u happy birthday and say how much she loves u...u begin to realize that maybe therein lie all the answers that u might possibly need...and more.

And yes, today also marks the First Anniversary of this blog of mine. Thanks to all who have visited and continue to do so and comment and read etc etc. I appreciate it. And I apologies for the drop in posts. Will try to change that!

So, do I hate birthdays???

NO, but I am thankful that it’s just once a year! :-)

WDCC: "Jack's Back"

Finally, a sculpture from The Nightmare Before Christmas worthy of adding to my collection!
At 15 1/4", this sculpture by Patrick Romandy-Simmons is the tallest sculpture in the 15 year history of the Walt Disney Classics Collection.
At first sight many think the red to be blood, but those who know the film ,they will know ist the torn Santa costume as Jack is shot down and crash lands in a graveyard and decides to set things right!
:-)

The Line King Indeed

Wow...guess what i ran into on YouTube!God bless YouTube...
See the late but gr8, Al Hirchfeld make an enitire piece right in front of our eyes...the process and all..damn cool!
His hand is more steady at the age of 98 than mine was when i was 18! lol
Anywho...me is just busy with starting my new job at C.O.R.E.,...Houdini is quite the challenge to get used to...but cant wait to get animating...i have some amazingly juicy villain(sp?) scenes assigned to me! yay!
So, enjoy this little treat for now!:-)

My Pics From Niagra

Went to Niagra with a bunch of freinds yesterday! This is the first time i did the "Journey Behind The Falls" thingie, where u walk in a tunnel behind teh falls and all..it was quite the rush!(no pun intended).Will post a video clip soon.
Here r a few pics for now from the day and also the light illumination of the falls at night.:-)

Rockefeller Centre Lights Show

This was after the tree lighting...was really nice :-)

Festive NYC

I was in NYC last week...had the most amazing time ever.Saw shows on broadway(Les Miz and Marry Poppins),saw Enya and Sarah McLachlan in concert...spent a couple of days at the MET and MOMA...Treelighting etc etc.
Took some cool pics at all those events and of NYC getting ready for XMAS..but unfortunately lost a brand new 2GB Memory Card of my cam with ALL my pics...:-(
Depressing as it was, i have manged to salvage VERY few pics from the smaller chip i had...so here they are!

Original "Where The Wild Things Are" Tests

Oooh! I just found a link to this awesome clip on the Disney Blog.
Had heard about this , but never seen it.
I think in the 80's, post Tron, and pre Lasserter's departure from Disney,he and Glen Keane got together to do some tests for Maurice Sendak's "Where The Wild Things Are".
This is long before the now scrapped Eric Goldberg take on the same for Universal.
Its very cool that someone put it up. The animation is pretty cool and so is the 3d camera. Though the shading /texturing is very dated. But i really like the way the 2d characters look and the way they move!

First Picture From My New Appt!

It was a gorgeous full moon night ...a few nights back ...ok,QUITE a few nigts back!(i just got my pics off my cam today).

So here is downtown Toronto on a full moon night as seen from my balchony!:-)