video
The Thin Man: Murder By Death
Murder By Death is a comedy (written by Neil Simon) with an all-star cast that pokes fun at some well-known and beloved mystery novel detectives (Charlie Chan, Nick and Nora Charles, Hercule Poirot , Sam Spade, and Miss Marple).
I’ve seen it a number of times. It’s a really silly movie but it cracks me up every time I watch it!
The movie is a lot of fun and I think the opening credits do a good job in showing that.
Into the Sunset: The Dragon’s Claw
A timely tangent on my Spaghetti Western tangent!
Like the lone heroes of the spaghetti westerns, the protagonist in friend and animator Robert Bruce’s recently released and lauded video for Justice of the Unicorns‘ The Dragon’s Claw lives in solitude… until, of course, he sees reason for action. Check out this modern day Man with No Name, sporting a monster costume instead of a poncho.
“The Dragon’s Claw” by Justice of the Unicorns from Robert Bruce on Vimeo.
Into the Sunset: Spaghetti Westerns
Geographically, Spaghetti Westerns are filmed nowhere near the American West, but they’re obviously about/influenced by it. These low-budget films introduced an international audience to cinematic and musical talents and maintain a significant place in film culture and history.
They’ve also produced some badass film posters.
Kid: Storybook Art
Apartment Therapy featured these lovely painted frames with illustrations from children’s books…
…which put me on the hunt for more whimsical wall art.
Tangent from: The Third Man
I’d forgotten all about the excellent opening credits to The Third Man until I borrowed the DVD from a friend and watched it again this week.
It’s the perfect introduction to the film. The zither score contributes so much to the tone of this movie and is far more versatile than I ever imagined. The Third Man is about an American writer who travels to Vienna to visit his old friend, but ends up investigating this friend’s death instead — all this to the sweet playfully melancholic sound of the zither. Like I said — versatile.
Other reasons why I enjoy this movie:
1) My infatuation with Joseph Cotten. We also share the same birthday, so I’m pretty sure that if fate did a better job of coordinating the year of our births we would have been an awesome match.
2) The sinister brilliance of Orson Welles.
3) The sharp and clever dialogue of Graham Greene.
4) The subtle and beautiful imagery of Carol Reed, reinforcing the emotion and mood at the core of the scene (a swinging door and a coat on the floor; fingers through a sewer grate; the twisted body of a teddy bear). I would frame the final scene if I could.
If you’ve seen this film, then you know that these are fairly obvious reasons and you understand why ‘The Third Man’ is now stuck in my one-track mind.
Third Man Theme by The Band
Maneaters: Bringing It All Back Home
Woa… there’s a Rock Band version of Neko Case singing People Got A Lotta Nerve.
And speaking of Calamity Janes…
Maneaters: When I See An Elephant Fly
He’s got wing-like ears, makes nice with a mouse, and rolls with the circus. These are crucial points to the story of Dumbo and some key elements used in the design of the film posters.
