Last Friday Gumby creator and claymation pioneer Art Clokey passed away in his sleep. As a kid with a growing imagination, Clokey’s creations including Gumby, Pokey, and Davey and Goliath, would stimulate my childhood afternoons with his endearing clay characters and the moral lessons they learned. R.I.P. Art Clokey.
The 2nd weekend of the new year brings a plethora of group shows to Los Angeles along with a Hamburger weekender.
(Click image for more info and full artist lineup)
(Click image for more info and full artist lineup)
(Click image for more info and full artist lineup)
(Click image for more info and full artist lineup)
(Click image for more info and full artist lineup)
Yet another film from our youth gets the remake treatment as an updated version of 1981’s Clash of the Titans comes to theaters sometime next year. One of my favorite adventure/fantasy movies as a kid, the mythological tale of Perseus’ quest to save Andromeda features a robotic owl, a flying horse, giant scorpions, Medusa and of course the Kraken. But the real star of the film were the then groundbreaking action sequences and special effects created by the great Ray Harryhausen. So it makes sense that Clash of the Titans gets a computer generated face lift (along with a much needed update of Harry Hamlin’s Perseus) for today’s kids. The only problem is I can’t seem to see a difference, can you?
New super charged formula:
Clash of the Titans (2010)
directed by Louis Leterrier, starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes
And the original recipe:
Clash of the Titans (1981)
directed by Desmond Davis, starring Harry Hamlin, Laurence Olivier, Ursula Andress
These two are completely different characters yet somehow look exactly the same.
Villainous half-man half-devil dude, Thallos
Terminator who didn’t know he’s a terminator in Terminator 4 (Sam Worthington) as Perseus
They did manage to gussy up the titles a bit though.
HBO is also into the Where the Wild Things Are business as they present filmmakers Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze’s intimate look into the life of one of the greatest storytellers of our youth, author Maurice Sendak. The documentary Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak premieres this Wednesday, October 14 at 7pm
From the Home Box Office cable entertainment channel:
“Filmmakers Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze present an intimate look at the life of noted children’s book writer and illustrator, Maurice Sendak, a seminal talent at times conflicted with his success and whose lifelong obsession with death has subtly influenced his work. Now 81 and living in Connecticut, Sendak is best known for his first (and most famous) book, Where the Wild Things Are, which he wrote after being a book illustrator for over 10 years. Though it was originally panned, Wild Things would eventually become one of the most beloved and critically lauded children’s books of all time and, to Sendak’s chagrin, came to define his career. Through his words, old pictures and illustrations, Tell Them Anything You Want offers a deeply personal look at an otherwise private and somewhat isolated man.”
Where the Wild Things Are have been everywhere, from free iPhone apps to fort contests, shirts to skateboards, from Newsweek to New York. And as the highly anticipated film of Maurice Sendak’s classic book finally premieres this Friday, October the 16th, expect the non-stop coverage to continue including on this here site of chumpchampions.
Now here’s Vice magazine’s contribution to all things Wild: artwork-a-day from 24 different contributing artists inspired by the Wild Things; and their interview with director Spike Jonze as he reveals how Sendak asked him several times to make the film, how the Wild Things are actually “wild emotions”, and how he thinks the purple lights on Virgin airlines are “the most unflattering, ugly, color-draining light” and need to be changed.
Where the Wild Things Are related to more content:
Start your week fantastically with the latest trailer for that other film coming out this Fall based on a classic childrens book, Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox.
More fantastic news on Mr. Fox:
The battle of classic childrens’ books made into film banners begins as the characters from Wes Anderson’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox have been unveiled. Courtesy of Empire.
More fantastic news on Mr. Fox:
Wes Anderson’s film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox (due out this Novemeber) get’s two new featurette treatments; one a behind the scenes look at the making of the film narrated by Jason Schwartzman, and the other features Felicity Dahl (Roald’s wife), Anderson’s inspiration for Mr. Fox (Dahl himself) and his fantastic world (their country side home).
And be sure to check out the trailer and more at FantasticMrFoxmovie.com.
Amidst all the Where the Wild Things Are hoopla going on these days, it’s been easy to forget about another quirky filmmaker with indie roots who’s also adapting a classic children’s story into a feature film. The meticulous Wes Anderson goes stop motiony with his film version of Roald Dahl’s (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Starring George Clooney and Meryl Streep as the titular fox and his foxy wife, as well as the Wes Anderson theater troupe players; Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Wilem Dafoe, Brian Cox, and Adrien Brody as the odd animals that join them, The Fantastic Mr. Fox comes to theaters this November 13th (a month after the Wild Things).
One of the pieces I’ve been pulling inspiration from lately (and for no other reason than today being January 12th), here’s the funkiest song and animation about a number you’ll ever hear from the funkiest time of our childhood, Sesame Street’s “12″.
Here’s a bit more info for those who enjoy information:
Performed by The Pointer Sisters (Pointer Sisters?! I never knew til just now!). Pinball Number Count was originally produced in 1972 by Imagination, Inc. in San Francisco, California for the Children’s Television Workshop. Animation for the segments was directed by Jeff Hale and recalls contemporary psychedelic and pop art styles, typified by the ornate pinball bumpers, colorful geometrical motifs and whimsical themes and devices inside the machine. It made its debut on Sesame Street in 1976.
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