Carlos Lascano’s A Short Love Story In Stop Motion is a beautiful example of what’s possible when a talented artist that has mastered a medium tells a story filled with emotion in just a few minutes.
Though it’s hard to believe, most of this is not CGI, as the characters are made of wire and wood, then covered in paper, the clothing is paper, and the indoor scenarios are all made with paper and cardboard.
Says Carlos,
I wanted to achieve an organic look, away from the perfection found in computer drawing, so I used only real objects and hand-drawing that were later composed in After Effects.
Ok, so maybe not, but after watching Iron Man, you’ll want to run down the street yelling that too.
Thanks to TechCrunch’s invitation, I was able to get a sneak peak at Iron Man Wednesday, and I can whole heartedly agree with the 96% that this film is currently rocking on Rotten Tomatoes.
It’s the summer blockbuster that you’ve been waiting for, and probably beyond what you’re expecting from it.
Sure, it’s got a great theme song, and the commercials look great, but that’s just the Hollywood Hype Machine running on overdrive, right?
Wrong.
Iron Man is a solid film with a plausible (futuristic) story line, fantastic acting, and top notch tech ogling.
First: Robert Downey Jr. is a bad ass. His role as a billionaire weapons manufacturer that likes fast talk, hard liquor, expensive women and cheap thrills is perfect, and he says each line with a bravado that will surely be emulated by everyone for the next few weeks.
Second: The action doesn’t stop. Sure, it’s a CGI film with plenty of additional special effects; but keep in mind, this is a comic book based movie after all. As is expected with a summer blockbuster, the explosions are over the top, the battles drag out, and the eye candy is ever present, but it’s always done in a way that lends itself to the story line, and never seems out of place.
Third: This is a tech head’s dream flick. From 3D holographic displays and futuristic UI to a sassy computer and robotic assistants, it’s a look into the future at what everyone hopes the world will become.
If you have a chance, then go see this movie, because you won’t be disappointed.
I Am Legend felt like a good idea that no one knew what to do with.
There were a few shining stars:
Will Smith’s acting was superb, in a Tom Hanks on an island sort of way, and you really feel for him as he navigates the empty streets of New York with Sam, his devoted dog, and his slowly fading sanity as he tries his best to cure the zombied world around him.
The CGI work was also superb, and you will easily believe that New York was stripped bare and left to sit for a few years to give it that true, hasn’t seen humans in a while look and feel.
However, there were also a few disappointments:
The story was…less than superb. It starts out slow, which is fine, since Will is, after all, alone, except for his dog, so he doesn’t exactly have a lot to do. He spends his time driving around the emptied streets in abandoned sports cars, hunting for deer that now roam those streets, teeing off on the back of an aircraft carrier, and, when he has a few spare moments, trying to cure the zombie disease that has killed off the rest of the world. And hiding from darkness. This takes up most of his time, and most of the first half of the movie is spent setting this groundwork for the story that you think will come.
Unfortunately, the second half of the film doesn’t do much better. There are a few moments when the pace picks up, and you begin to feel as if something is actually going to happen, but they’re few and far between, and you’re soon lulled into a sedated state as you begin to simply watch Will live. Then, the end of the film arrives, and it comes so abruptly that you hardly have time to comprehend what’s going on. Just as quickly as it began, the lights flick back and on you’re left sitting in your chair with a strong feeling of “Meh.”
The story also suffers from the problem of “Well, isn’t that convenient.” Every time something needs to happen, it does, and every time you see a movie cliché building, it doesn’t fail to disappoint. I can only think of one twist that I didn’t see coming, but even that twist seemed forced and didn’t make much sense when you consider what was discussed during the preceding parts of the movie. The ending basically rounded out the whole film, as it managed to be both conveniently timed and cliché filled.
I Am Legend just feels like a film that relied on a lot of CGI and Will Smith to cover up a thin plot and poor, cliché details. It lacked the scare that it needed to be a good horror film, the emotion that it needed to be a good ‘man on an island’ film, and the twists and turns it needed to be a good action/adventure film. Instead, it forces its way through a butchering of Richard Matheson’s story, and avoids anything that could have made this a great film.
For being an impulse buy, the Nintendo Wii sure does have a lot of fans. Super 78, a CGI movie studio, decided to use some down time at the office to create this commercial that plays into the Wii strap fiasco. It’s both creative and cute, and I only wish my “down time” came out [...]
There’s a new trailer out for the Transformers movie. Some good CGI is included, so now I just wonder how the story is going to play out. Looks good so far though.
I Am Legend felt like a good idea that no one knew what to do with.
