Kung Fu Panda
I'm really not sure how this one slipped through my radar. I'm a sucker for animated movies, but somehow I missed out on Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda last summer. Do I ever regret it. Though it lacks some of the polish of the better Pixar films, it's an hour and a half of beautiful fun.
This movie is just plain enjoyable. It's funny, and the story is deep enough to keep an adult audience entertained (though it's not without its holes.) The final hour is nearly non-stop, beautifully animated action only heightened by wonderful cinematography. The characters and environments are superbly simplistic, and the choreography of the fight sequences rivals anything I've seen.
I only wish it could have lasted longer. The plot progresses fast enough to make the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs, and, as a result, a few things fall by the wayside. The dynamic between Po (Jack Black) and his master, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), is played out well, but the other characters could use more screen time. The Furious Five, Shifu's other students, barely fit into the plot. They're there, they leave, and they come back for the end. Not to mention that if not for a couple of karate kicks two of the five wouldn't even be in the movie.
There are finer points, too, that could have used some finesseing. Black, though okay, is a miscast. His voice just doesn't fit Po's look and mannerisms. I never really believed that Po was speaking. Rather, Black was speaking through him. The sound design could have also used work as some sounds get repetitive to the point of annoyance. These issues, though minor, are not problems found in works from Pixar and Disney (old Disney, that is) and sadly relegate Kung Fu Panda to the crowded group of good but not great.
Want ninety minutes of fun? Whatch Kung Fu Panda. Even thought it's not the best I've seen, I smiled the whole way through. I bet you will, too.
3.5 of 5 stars
Been cranking out an update to my portfolio. No major changes, just adding and subtracting projects and tweaking the look. Graphics and cover pages will change, but here's a taste:
1. I randomly decided yesterday that I wan't to work on my digital sketching this quarter. Below is my first real attempt at pure digital sketching, just a couple of car sketches. Despite their lack of refinement, I would be happy with them as a first attempt, but they were done on a Cintiq. I need to be faster and cleaner, all while using a my tablet (unless anyone out there wants to give me two grand for a Cintiq.) We'll see...
B. The catalyst for said desision is the fact that I have also made the preliminary choice of a snowmobile for my senior thesis. I know, I know - we need to use design to help the world. More humanitarian ideas have crossed my mind, but one thing I know for sure (mostly through co-op) is that I become incredibly bored and frustrated when I'm designing things in which I have little personal interest. Don't get me wrong, though. I would love to be the one to revolutionize water distribution for refugees; it's just not a fun project. Besides, maybe this will turn into an avalanche rescue sled. Who knows? I can be sure, though, that doing something related to both snow and sports will hold my interest.
Anyway, the plan this quarter is to start doing research while I pump out a quick sketch and render portfolio piece. Research and redesigns will continue until I graduate. Chances are it won't happen this way (after all it did take me two co-op quarters just to do a ski boot), but we'll see...
You know how everyone sends those annoying Christmas letters detailing their family's entire year? Well this post was intended to be like a shorter version of that covering my holidays. I wrote half of it, decided that even I was getting bored and scrapped it. Here are some bullet points:
- Great improvement with skis in the area of sliding rails, can't wait to jib myself to death at Mountian Creek
- Cut down what ended up being a thirteen-foot-tall Christmas tree (I'll try to find a picture)-Awesome
- Wall-E and The Dark Knight were presents, and watching them again was pure joy
- As per tradition, I got drunk on Christmas Eve
- Not as per tradition, we went to midnight mass. Avoid getting hammered before sitting through a bad priest's sermon at all costs.
- Saw some old friends, always fun to rehash the days of yesteryore (that's right - fuck our language - I make my own words)
- Went to Miami for New Year's Eve and the Orange Bowl - Tony Pike choked donkey dick, but South Beach was fun
- Living in NJ (for co-op) with my sister and her three kids. Hmm, how corrupted can three children become in ten weeks?
I would promise that the posts to come will be more interesting, but I have a hard time believing anyone besides my brother actually reads this...and he does it out of a strange mix of curiosity and pity.
I haven't posted for a while, so coming some time this week will be a full recap of my holidays. Until then, try not to fall off the edge of your seat.
-Sir, I think you've gone mad with power.
-Of course I have. Ever tried going mad without power? It's boring; no one listens to you.
-Unfortunately the Ribwich will no longer be available. The animal it was made out of is now extinct.
-The cow?
-Close, but you're way off. Think more legs.
My last post was a tad brief, so, even though "brevity is the soul of all wit," here's a better explanation of what happened.
I was extremely confident coming into critique on Tuesday. I felt like I had a unique design and a unique rationale for the decisions I made. Anyone from studio who reads this, please do not take offense. In no way am I trying to say that other projects were bad, because they weren't. I simply feel that my concept stood out in that its sustainability was not something that you could only talk about or just slapped on for decoration. I did not present a computer that happened to be part of a sustainable system or had regular materials replaced by recyclable ones. Sustainability was the at the soul of my project and was instantly recognizable by the consumer.
I have always been comfortable presenting my work and, due to what I felt was a unique perspective on a computer's sustainability, this project was no different. I feel like I was clear and succinct in my delivery, and was well prepared for the questions to come. When they did come, however, I was not given a fair opportunity to justify my decisions. Granted, because I knew these questions were coming I could have tried to illustrate them more clearly, but I felt confident in my ability to explain them.
Such was not the case. I spent the majority of my critique time going back and forth, courteously, with one person. He misunderstood what I had said; thus, I misunderstood what he had asked. Once it was cleared up and I began to answer his questions, he interrupted me. Not once or twice but three separate times. In the past I have fallen into the trap of becoming defensive during my critiques, and I took extra care to make sure that it did not happen this time. I had justifications ready, and for some reason he was not interested in hearing them.
This went on for most of my allotted time, leaving roughly 30 seconds for the other four critics to speak. I felt cheated not only out of a genuine critique, but also out of my entire presentation. I was not able to expound on my major talking points due to the disrespect of one individual. It is one thing to do poor work and be called out on it. It is quite another to be well prepared and made to look as if I did poor work.
We soon took a break. I went for a walk. The best way to describe my emotional state was "rage pissed." I was punching walls, swearing under my breath and completely devastated. What I didn't realize until later was that "my" critic was not from HP. I missed introduction because my model, which had been completed four days earlier, decided to break three times that morning. I was relieved that our sponsors were not the ones responsible for debasing my presentation, but, again, I felt cheated out of the opinions I really cared about.
Shit happens. This is last round of bitching you will hear from me. I hate to lose, and this project now looms as a large mark in that column.
Tomorrow, now yesterday, was indeed another day, and some of the pain has lifted. As with all deep wounds, however, I'm not sure this will ever heal completely.
Critique went very bad this morning. I have no problem with someone challenging my solutions; it's why I'm in school. But when I have an answer prepared and am interrupted while delivering it, I lose all respect for my critics. I knew what they were going to ask, prepared justifications and wasn't allowed to present them. BULLSHIT.
