Seeing that it is hump day and we are all counting down to the weekend I thought my offering for the mid-week post-Cherub-day, too-many-chocolate-hearts blues would be to offer you some eye candy.
Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) is, as it says, the first in an epic horror trilogy. Based on the best selling Russian science fiction novels of Sergei Lukyanenko (which also include Day Watch and Dusk Watch), Night Watch shattered Russian box office records in the summer of 2004 beating out LOTR: ROTK and Spiderman 2 at the box office. Why it has taken so long to get over here is beyond me but it opens in limited release this Friday. I am hoping that this does not turn into another Mirrormask situation for us here in Kansas City because this is one cool, freaky looking movie that I have to see on the big screen. Now! Go here for the trailer. Night Watch looks bizarre, fun, and eerie.
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Have you seen The Triplets of Belleville, the Academy Award nominated French animated movie? If not it is a must see, highly entertaining. While traveling the internet superhighway I came across this short film which mimics Triplets in style and humor. It is called Le Building.
It is very short and very cute. There is an extremely brief (non sexual) naked part in this so you might want to make sure your boss isn’t watching over your shoulder. Unless of course you have a cool boss who is into fun short animation. Click here to open site and watch.
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And sticking with the theme this is an animated insurance commercial, the Tomorrow Monster, by the director of The Triplets of Belleville, Sylvain Chomet. It too is short but very sweet and sentimental.
I like this style of art when I find it in a traditional sequential art format and seeing it animated is even more enjoyable. These last two animated shorts were found courtesy of the wonderful art blog Drawn!.
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And then there is the movie that I am looking the most forward to this summer: Nacho Libre. From the director of Napoleon Dynamite. ‘Nuff said.
Well, there is your eye candy for today. I hope you watch all of these and enjoy them as they are all visually entertaining and will hopefully add a little something to the hump day routine!
Night Watch is worth watching. it isn’t as great as everyone makes out, but it is still really good. And I love the use of subtitles.
Hope we will get a review once you go see it?
That’s quite a few links…!
A friend of mine who saw ‘Night Watch’ didn’t enjoy it as much as he thought he would. I’m telling you just so your expectations aren’t too high…
Foreign films are somewhat of a crapshoot but I suspect that I’ll like it well enough. I read that its sequel is doing mad numbers in Russia now. I’ll definitely do a review once I see it (if it comes here of course!)
How does it compare to Brotherhood of the Wolf, Fence? Brotherhood, City of Lost Children, and The Devil’s Backbone are the only horror/sci fi foreign films that I can remember seeing and I really like all three.
It is very, very different to Brotherhood of the Wolf. Not half as classy looking, and I’d prefer Brotherhood.
Night Watch is set in modern times, and is a little confusing in places because there is so much going on.
I do think it may suffer from any hype, because while good, interesting and original, it isn’t truely outstanding, imo.
Unfortunately most movies suffer from the hype machine. For me the only hype thus far is coming from me to me and at this point I won’t be reading anymore about it. If its only as good as Brothers Grimm at this point I’ll be happy as at least it is something different from all the usual stuff that is out right now, even if the only major difference is that it is a Russian film. I’m actually tempted to read the novels. I see that the first is coming out in an English translation soon on Amazon.com
Is it odd that they entire time I was watching the trailer I kept thinking of Rutger Hauer?
I can’t believe no one is talking about Oscar contender Nacho Libre. 😉
I’ve got to watch Brotherhood of the Wolf again, I really liked that flick alot!
OMG The Triplets of Belleville…I wanted so much to like it (France!) but…sigh… je deteste le Triplets…
We (Mary, Tori and I) just loved Triplets. The music, the interesting animation style, the fact that it is a film with almost no dialogue but tells a fun and interesting story, the cute little old woman with her one big shoe, the dog…
Eventhough you didn’t like Triplets both short films I linked to (are they even a minute long?) are really fun so I hope you check them out Janet.
I really liked the dog in Triplets, he really had all the sounds & expressions of a real dog.
You’re right Fence. When we were watching it in the theatre we were constantly laughing because everything the dog did was so truly dog-like. Loved the dreams he would have as one assumes that is exactly what dogs dream about.
Speaking of eye candy I ran out and bought Mirrormask on DVD yesterday. I’m saving it for the weekend eventhough it is pratically killing me to do so. It has gotten an even 50-50 split on Rotten Tomatoes…for the most part people either loved it or hated it. Labyrinth and Dark Crystal, both movies that I really like, got about the same reception so I’m not too concerned. I believe Mirrormask will be exactly what I want it to be. The disk looks packed with extras.
let us know how Mirrormask is!
I’ll definitely be doing a review over the weekend to post Monday or Tuesday. I know Jenn See and Mysfit have already seen it. Not sure if any of the other Droppings readers have. There would have been a review a long time ago if Kansas City would’ve gotten one of the showings!!! I’m not bitter or anything.
Cute short animations. Elaina enjoyed them too. Is the Triplets a family movie? We’re always looking for movies the six of us can enjoy together.
There is a brief little nude thing at the beginning somewhat similar to the one in the short film right at the beginning of Triplets that you could actually skip. It is a cartoon of a woman dancing and her breasts are exposed…the kids would actually probably think it was funny. We have it if you want to borrow it sometime. They might find it entertaining and they might be bored to tears…haven’t talked with anyone who has young kids who’ve seen it.
I thought of Elaina when I posted the one with the shower scene because of her current fixation with the body! 🙂
Nightwatch sounds interesting. I couldn’t get the trailer to run well on my computer but of the images I saw it kind of reminded me of Underworld which I enjoyed a lot. If it comes to KC I up for going to see it.
I haven’t seen Tripplets. I’ll have to rent it some time. I also haven’t heard of the Jack Black film so I’ll check out the site. Thanks man.
Nacho Libre looks crazy man. Looks funny. I wish it wasn’t coming out in June though. That month is already loaded with films I want to see at the box office already. Definitely has a big Napoleon feel.
Yes, as much as I loved Napoleon Dynamite I can’t imagine seeing this one in the theatre in the midst of all the blockbusters that are coming out in the spring and summer.