Caterpillar

by my dark apronPublished on July 14, 2011

Film

In Kôji Wakamatsu’s Caterpillar, a decorated Lieutenant of the Second Sino-Japanese war heads back to his hometown after surviving a deadly assault that has taken away his arms and legs. As the townspeople welcome him as a hero, his wife must find a way to accept her new husband’s living conditions. A more detailed synopsis as follows (via Berlinale):

“Lieutenant Kurokawa returns highly decorated from the second Sino-Japanese war. He has lost both his arms and his legs during the conflict. Before long, the attentions of everyone in his village – neighbours, friends and relatives – are focussed on his wife, Shigeko. They all look to her to honour the Emperor, do her duty to her country and provide a shining example to others by devoting herself to caring for this war hero…”

Trailer embedded below:

Caterpillar

Posted in: Feature Film, Featured, Film
Tags: Caterpillar, Character Study, drama, Kôji Wakamatsu, Second Sino-Japanese War

LOST IN EVERYONE ╳ Doldrums & Angus Borsos

by my dark apron

May 17, 2013

Art Blog - Doldrums, Angus Borsos - Empty Kingdom

Film

Montreal-based band Doldrums’ music video for LOST IN EVERYONE takes us on a wandering tour to a different planet, with every electrical spark / scratch in its step. Directed by Angus Borsos. Taken from their new album Lesser Evil. Check out more after the jump. A bit of background info for the band can be read as follows: “Doldrums first full length, Lesser Evil, comes after many years of smaller EPs, performance, and video art. Airick Woodhead, deeply entrenched in the Montreal and Toronto DIY scenes, has been a longtime friend and collaborator of Arbutus — who will present the LP on Feb 26th. Woodhead is “immune to technology”; the singer, producer, multi instrumentalist certainly uses technology hard enough that it breaks down completely; the cover art for Lesser Evil is simply a photograph of his broken Laptop screen. The album features warped short-looped samples, which congeal with drum parts and Woodhead’s distinct falsetto, creating a live energy that is experiential, raw and solitary. The live show takes these songs and sets them with percussion – often with two or more live drummers on stage. The songs on Lesser Evil shift with the energy of experience, a notion that plays strongly on Doldrums entire aesthetic – exploring the disorienting, exotic and truly compelling experimental realm of Airick Woodhead.” Watch the full video down below. --- [embed width="640"]https://vimeo.com/59514288[/embed] MV for LOST IN EVERYONE. LOST IN EVERYONE, 2013 --- Doldrums Angus Borsos

I Used To Be Darker ╳ Matthew Porterfield

by my dark apron

May 16, 2013

Art Blog - Matthew Porterfield - Empty Kingdom

Film

Director Matthew Porterfield (featured on EK for PUTTY HILL) follows up with his third feature film entitled I Used To Be Darker. A graceful focus on the strength of family bonds. Official film background can be read as follows: “When Taryn, a Northern Irish runaway, finds herself in trouble in Ocean City, MD, she seeks refuge with her aunt and uncle in Baltimore. But Kim and Bill have problems of their own: they’re trying to handle the end of their marriage gracefully for the sake of their daughter Abby, just home from her first year of college. A story of family revelations, people finding each other and letting each other go, looking for love where they’ve found it before and, when that doesn’t work, figuring out where they might find it next.” To check out the trailer, drop down to the bottom of this page. --- [embed width="640"]https://vimeo.com/38695698[/embed] Trailer for I USED TO BE DARKER. I Used To Be Darker, 2013 --- Matthew Porterfield

Astigmatismo ╳ Nicolai Troshinsky

by my dark apron

May 15, 2013

Art Blog - Nicolai Troshinsky - Empty Kingdom

Film

The animated short film Astigmatismo takes us on an adventurous play of cat-and-mouse through beautifully assembled depth of fields. Story and vision directed by Nicolai Troshinsky, with character designs by Gina Thorstensen, background designs by Cecilia Ramieri, music by Shogun Kunitoki, and sound design by Pierre Sauze. Official background info can be read as follows: “A boy, having lost his glasses, can only see one thing in focus at a time. His sight gets attracted by the sounds that surround him. He will have to explore a blurry world of unknown places and strange characters." “ASTIGMATISMO” is a short-film about the feeling of being lost. This feeling is created thanks to an extreme blur effect, leaving only a very tiny space in focus. The focus shifts and moves rhythmically, synchronized with the sounds and the music, revealing a constantly changing landscape. The optical effect of blur is at the core of the film, so to make this effect as beautiful and authentic as possible "ASTIGMATISMO" is shot in a 5-level multiplane using a special lens. The animation involves cut-out marionettes and paint on glass. Everything is entirely made by hand and there are no post production effects. It is, however, computer-assisted. The camera and the lens were entirely controlled by computer making it possible to adjust the focus and the depth of field with extreme precision, allowing for a variety of focus effects that wouldn't have been possible to create otherwise. In this way, the film combines old school animation techniques with recent advances in camera technology.” Scroll down below to watch the full short and it’s complimentary in-the-making footage. --- [embed width="640"]https://vimeo.com/59618486[/embed] Short film for ASTIGMATISMO. [embed width="640"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RX5Csypuj8[/embed] Making of ASTIGMATISMO. Astigmatismo, 2013 --- Nicolai Troshinsky Gina Thorstensen Cecilia Ramieri Shogun Kunitoki Pierre Sauze