very nice gallery and avatar.

I'm still behind on the Grinderman release and the soundtracks he and Ellis did for The Proposition and The Assassination of Jesse James.... Didn't even realize The Bad Seeds had a MySpace, so I will have to check that out.

IMO the material since "Boatman's Call" is pretty hit or miss. That album has grown on me, and I like most of "No More Shall We Part," but I dislike "Nocturama" a great deal. "Abattoir Blues" and "The Lyre of Orpheus" are mostly great, harkening back more to the pre-"Boatman's Call" sound. I've heard that the new one is in that same vein.

If you are starting out w/Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, my suggestion would be to listen to "Henry's Dream" or "Let Love In."

Anyway, thanks for the tip!

--
my life in movies: [link]

ick Cave & the Bad Seeds, and their new record, got a rave review in the Wall Street Journal this week. Mind you I had never heard him. The entire new album is on his myspace. I need to listne alot before I render an opinion. but you may have moved on fromthat stuff...

I heard this place was full of unintelligent people and that the forums were trash, but when I looked I found you and saw a home.

Maybe so, esp. considering all of the vanity labels ABC / Vertigo etc. I guess I'm calcifying my opinion anachronistically. Still Animation is still stuck in the kid appeal only stage, maybe if you consider pop-comic to big screen crossovers, that market exists solidly.. but that's not animation purely.

--
Guph, go feed the lizard.
-----------------------------------------
state-of-the-art bionic-cyberechidna

The Tao is like a glob pattern:
used but never used up.
It is like the extern void:
filled with infinite possibilities.

I disagree with the parallels you're making between American comics and manga. While it's true that the popular fare is still dominated by content intended for children and adolescents, it does seem like a solid market for adult/alternative fare exists. From my understanding, interest 10 years ago or so was even stronger.

Of course I understand the influence of Pixar. The work they produce certainly stretch the assumptions, but it is still essentially children's fare/comedy. There are similar issues with The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, Adult Swim, etc.
Let's also not forget that Bakshi was making cartoons for an adult audience way back in the 70's.

--
my life in movies: [link]

You'd be right. Manga as well. America and the west in general of late, is strongly influenced by Anime/Manga so that that is steadily changing or course, limited though to the of on the fringes with the young-ish folks. Adult themed comic production for instance has been relatively slow to grow because of the Comic Code, but even then it's been fantasy fare super hero stuff, or stuff that touches on those genres. Just a regular old romantic comedy manga in the states is nonexistent, but you might see romantic comedy themes touched on in X-Men or similar occasionally.

Animation is retarded somewhat by American conventional tastes, but consider the overall impact of movies like Toy Story and Ice Age which even with their moments of comedy and kid safe humor occasionally reach out and pluck at your heart in the midst of it. I think more and more of that will come along as animation matures here.

--
Guph, go feed the lizard.
-----------------------------------------
state-of-the-art bionic-cyberechidna

The Tao is like a glob pattern:
used but never used up.
It is like the extern void:
filled with infinite possibilities.

I am aware of Grave of Fireflies actually, but thanks for the recommendation. It's something I've meant to see but have never gotten around to. My point was actually that Japanese animation isn't dominated by childrens' fare or comedy, as it is in America.

--
my life in movies: [link]

Not to butt in, but "The grave of the Fireflies" review: [link] amazon: search for "grave of the fireflies" is a masterpiece, exactly touching on what you just mentioned in this comment, in that it is not childrens fare (sort of) or a comedy. Not Miyazaki-sama, but Isao Takahata is certainly a great director of anime with this effort.

Don't watch it unless you're willing to be terribly sad though, for a few days, maybe weeks.

--
Guph, go feed the lizard.
-----------------------------------------
state-of-the-art bionic-cyberechidna

The Tao is like a glob pattern:
used but never used up.
It is like the extern void:
filled with infinite possibilities.

What's up, lady. I need to get back on track.

--
Cancer affects one out of every three people born in developed countries

<3, <3, <3

--
there is a wisdom in the wave

Never watched much of it. Wasn't quite something I could get into.

As far as the second thing, it's difficult to say. Movie acting is very driven by the face and the eyes, so the style of acting has to be smaller in scope. Thus a lot of good film actors are capable of emoting a great deal w/o utilizing voice or grand gestures.
But another thing is that all stories are driven by conflict, so the odds of having a character who is entirely calm or introspective is debatable. I have seen many good performances where the actor is tackling that sort of person with lots of conflict bubbling under the surface. Just offhand, Donald Sutherland in Ordinary People or Nicole Kidman in Birth.
Another issue I see: is the job of an actor to, as you say, stand out? I don't think it is. There are some splendid actors who make it their job to play roles where they blend in and become part of the structure. What I mean is, you forget about the actor and pay attention to the character.

--
my life in movies: [link]

I should check up on that.

This chain of comments might be dragging on for too long, but I would like to talk other stuff (I don't get to meet with people who are willing to discuss movies or series). Have you seen Prison Break? At first I wasn't too pumped to see it, even though everyone was talking about it. Or maybe because everyone was talking about it. I just thought this was something that was popular and crap, which I admit is kind of concieted. But then I saw the show, and I have to admit, it lives up to the hype. You?

Second thing, do you find it more difficult to judge an actor's talent when he or she is playing a calm introversive role? I mean, sometimes a really good actor can stand out but generally speaking some of the bad ones can go unnoticed. Maybe it's because they don't end up talking much. Or is that just me?

--
But I -being poor- have only my dreams --Yeats

Ah, crap. I assumed that only hid them on my front page, not in your messages.
It is corrected. Sorry about that.

--
my life in movies: [link]

The comments are hidden by owner, so I can't see your reply.

--
But I -being poor- have only my dreams --Yeats

I find the characterization in anime generally lacking, driven by stock and archetypes. The Japanese in general handle plot a bit differently, so the results are sometimes disjointed or overly ambiguous.

Pre-1960 covers a wide range. My favorites are Warner Bros. and MGM during the 40's, the Fleischer sound cartoons of the 30's (Betty Boop, Koko the Clown), and Felix the Cat. More recently, I got into the UPA cartoons of the 50's and seen some work by the Hubleys. I like most Disney animated features to about Sleeping Beauty, but I've never been terribly attracted to their short cartoons.

--
my life in movies: [link]

That's a good point about the wide range of genres in anime. Personally, I generally stopped liking anime per se when I noticed some flaws which seem to be quite constant, such the annoying "telling" scenes which never stop.

What pre-1960 stuff are you talking about?

--
But I -being poor- have only my dreams --Yeats

Mmmm, not really, to be quite honest. I'm one of those few people who liked it, though I will confess it was flawed. More detailed thoughts here: [link]

--
my life in movies: [link]

I see that you're interested in films. I don't see so many, but the ones I do see I have strong opinions about. Maybe we can talk films sometime.

Didn't you think Fur was rather dull?

Miyazaki is a guy. Yeah, he did Kiki's Delivery Service too.

Honestly, I am not that into anime in general. IMO the interest is based mostly in the exoticism and also that animation in Japan is a much wider avenue, with a broader range of genres beyond children's fare and comedy. I watched a lot of anime in high school and college and probably got burnt out on it.
I'll check those mini-series out, though.

Usually, I prefer pre-1960 American animation and pretty much everything I've seen out of Europe.

--
my life in movies: [link]

Spirited Away is also good. Didn't Miyazaki (is she a woman?) also make Chi Chi's delivery service or something?

Are you exclusively into movies? Or do you also watch TV series'? I'm particularily curious if you watch any anime. I don't like it, personally, but there are a few mini-series which I found quite beautiful. Namely, Escaflowne and Gungrave. I have a feeling you'd like Escaflowne very much. Both are about 30 episodes long.

--
But I -being poor- have only my dreams --Yeats

Haven't seen it yet, though I plan on seeing more Miyazaki at some point. I have seen Spirited Away, however, and really liked it. Very Carrollian.

--
my life in movies: [link]

You know what you should watch? Howl's Castle. That's if you haven't seen it yet.

I saw it today, and it was really lovely. Very innocent and child-y. Apparently most of the people I know don't consider a movie worthwhile unless someone is being voilently abused.



--
But I -being poor- have only my dreams --Yeats

it's admirable that you've stayed sane through everything Amanda. you're a good guy

whassup Manda