The (New) Little Tramp, The Tough-As-Nails Vamp, And The Future (of Pixar)

Posted on July 2, 2008 by drumsintheglobalvillage

When I heard this (level of) review, I put “Wall-E” on the to-see list. So yesterday I went, and saw no exaggeration.

Another home run for the 3-D gang. It’s hard to explain the amount of, and quality of, visual storytelling in this film. The characters fit like parts of a symphony separate and attached to the music. As usual with Pixar, the emotions are raw, sentimental and direct without being sappy. “Monsters, Inc.,” “Wall-E”, et. al. continue to stand in constant contrast to today’s dual overdose of overrated hip, small-screen animated cynicism and big-screen patronizing mediocrity.

And the film’s Sci-Fi socio-political content….

What amazes me is that Pixar seems to be just beginning to find its storytelling-style groove. Can it really get better than this?

Not doing a good job expressing myself here, am I? Then stop reading this and just go see it! Bring your kids if you have to! LOL! 🙂

How To Tell If You've Created A Stereotypical 1970s Black Superhero

Posted on June 27, 2008 by drumsintheglobalvillage

You know you’re bored when you finally find an article in your apartment that you’ve been (thinking about) searching for FOR YEARS. 🙂 I finally found this blurb in my old copy of the 100th anniversary issue of Wizard magazine, published eight years ago. Something to think about while we’re all enjoying “Hancock.” 🙂

Black Power!

Ten easy steps for making a genuine stereotypical, borderline offensive, 1970s Black superhero.

1. BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL! Make them Black. Seems obvious, but nobody included that on the memo for “Blackhawk,” and look where that went.

2. ALWAYS BET ON BLACK The character MUST be called “Black” something, like Black Goliath, Black Lightning, Black Panther, etc., to offset how all the white heroes’ names start with “white,” like…..uh……..

3. DRESS FOR SUCCESS When designing the costume, pepper freely with high collars, plunging V-necks and chains. And the Afro’s a must.

4. TALK THE TALK Aside from a healthy dose of “jive turkey” and “brotha,” give your new crimefighter a believable ethnic catch phrase, like “Sweet Christmas.”

5. WALK THE WALK Make ’em good and angry, so they’ll lash out at billboards and fences and stuff when they’re talking to themselves.

6. UP WITH PEOPLE Unlike guys like Superman and Aquaman, they’re one of the people. Have the grocer give him an apple when he walks by.

7. STAY GOLDEN He might act all tough and grouchy, but beneath that hairy, V-necked chest beats a heart of gold. Unless The Man gets in his way, that is.

8. DO THE TIME Give him a criminal background, just like Superma…uh, no, like Batma…er, no, bad example. Like Iron M–ah, maybe we should move on to #9.

9. SLUM IT UP These guys are rarely members of the Avengers and JLA. They’re more likely private investigators, ex-thugs for hire, social workers, stuff like that.

10. FUBU The stories have to have the air of authenticity to them: the situations the characters find themselves in because of who they are, their day-to-day problems and struggles they must hear. You need somebody who can relate to these issues. Get somebody white to write it.

Copyright (c) 2000 by Wizard magazine.

P.S. For more on Black superheroes, you should check out this and this and this.

2010 UPDATE: Enjoyed reading this.

The King's Tome

Posted on June 16, 2008 by drumsintheglobalvillage

The new biography of Jack Kirby really isn’t that; it’s an authorized, more-polite-than-it-should-be version of his life used as an excuse to showcase his great art. And thank God for it.

Jack Kirby is responsible for two-thirds of every childhood smile I ever made. Period. The Fantastic Four. The Silver Surfer. The Incredible Hulk. The Mighty Thor. The Black Panther. The Uncanny X-Men. ‘Nuff said.

Thanks to Mark Evanier for putting it together. He told the story of a man who created hundreds of universes in order to take care of his most important one: his wife and children. Jack Kirby, the immortal hero whose superpower was unlimited imagination.