It is midnight. I fell asleep for about an hour and woke up feeling bored. This happens to me quite often...I get bored of sleeping. I thought I would share what I did to keep myself entertained through the night (from 12:17-5:25am), or rather what I watched. So, as I watch a movie I will post it here. It will be as if we watched it together...awwww, now isn't that sweet--just don't hog the blankets ;).

Update: I ended up watching 2 movies, 1 animated feature, and 1 really short film.

12:17 am. I started out with World Builder, created by Bruce Branit. Shot in a single day, but took 2 years in post production, World Builder is a short 9 min film about a gesture of love by a strange man who creates a holographic world for a woman in a coma. In the end the 'world' dematerializes lasting only moments and the program ends.  The entire film (except for the actors) is computer graphics. I didn't see this before Inception, but perhaps Nolan was inspired from this?? Not quite sure. The CG was obviously amazing, but to be honest the beginning felt like a visual effects commercial showing off the capabilities of companies' computer graphics system.  This may only be the case to me, because the way the film's main character builds the world is the way you would build it in a computer...more or less.  Some of it may also be the camera angles.  Nevertheless, very cool and sweet; creating a world for someone who is not 'there' - all in 9 minutes. More short films please.  What I like most about these low budget films is hey, it shows one doesn't need to have this mucho over produced films with crazy amount of money being thrown around to communicate a message. I guess this film only cost $2000 plus  Branit's love and time in the graphics editing room.

I posted this  World Builder short film video in my "microblog" tab, so watch it---it will only be 9 minutes of your time. I haven't posted much in my microblog, but I should. I'll try. I wanted to use that tab as a place to put cool designs, ideas,  videos...etc., but haven't yet. (continue reading)

12:31 am. Then I watched a Godard 60's film, Vivre sa vie (To Live her Life) starring the very pretty, Anne Karina - love her hair, a look that is very Pulp Fiction, or rather vice versa. It's a film about a Parisian woman who leaves her marriage and children to pursue an acting career, but finds herself in prostitution. She feels these series of decisions are of that of her own free will, but is it?  Free will versus social predetermination. Like usual, he references pop culture, politics, philosophy; existentialism being his fav, etc, but it is 4 in the morning, so I'd probably have to watch it again to pick up on all the references, though not really posting here to be a movie critic. Cinematography is great and experimental much like his, À bout de souffle (Breathless). Honestly, I would have to watch both again to see which one I liked better of the two, but did like this one.

 2:09 am. Then came Independent film, Children of Invention. To be honest I was doing some work during this one and didn't watch every bit, but it is good enough for me to revisit at another time.  Pretty much an illegal immigrant mother whose part of the working poor of America. She is trying to keep things financially together for her 2 young children and gets involved in bad business ventures/Ponzi schemes which leads to her disappearance. Her two children are forced to make it on their own and the oldest sibling, Raymond,  resorts to creative, inventions and gadgets to take care of his little sister . The harsh adult world on 2 young ones...I did love the nuances of their naivety and desperation--it is endearing and cute, but kinda tugs at your heart strings. There is this one scene where Raymond blows on the credit card so he can use the ATM-as if he is blowing a nintendo game cartridge. It's funny how the mom and son are one in the same. Both are naive in different ways and both reaching out for quick fixes/schemes in order to survive.

3:43 am. and lastly, Triplets of Bellville, an animation I go back to again and again. I truly love Triplets of Bellville and really respect traditional animation and the love that goes into such a craft. The story centers on Madam Souza and her grandson, Champion; a sad and lonely young boy with deceased parents. In efforts to cheer him up she gets him a puppy, Bruno and later a tricycle. As he grows up he becomes a professional cyclist, like his deceased parents were, with grandma Souza as his coach. He later enters the Tour de France, but then is kidnapped by Mafia Henchmen. Grandma Souza, Bruno, and the Triplets of Bellville- the 1930s singers that she recruits along the way, go on an epic rescue and find adventure.  I would say the film is almost entirely silent animation which you would think would be a problem, but it is so not. It is a conscious design decision and an aged, almost retro, song and dance story telling. The characters are fun and so well designed that you can feel the character's weight and movement---like with Champion who has an aloof, long, gangly and slow feel to him.  I think that is what is amazing about animation--.to be able to achieve such realism of an envisioned character's movement style, facial expressions and overall consistent demeanor is not an easy feat and requires much real-life observation on the designer's part. I love watching Champion's body when he rides a bicycle---you can just feel his every push and leg stroke when he rides the bicycle. Anyways, a great animation, I promise.

SO, we have a mob chasing after a gangly cyclist and the mob being chased by a stocky short grandma, bloodhound and 3 leggy, crazy 1930's hall singers...a mystery man creating an holographic world for a comatose loved one... a tragic case study of a mother/wife,  with super cool 60's hair-mind you, and her descent into prostitution...and 2 cute adorable little chinese kids using invention to try and survive in an adult world...

What can we learn from all this? that it is time for bed. Good morning. :)

Oh, and Jason slept through it all. I could light a firecracker and he wouldn't wake up ;) Incidently, it is almost time for me to wake him up for work. Yes, I make sure he wakes up every morning.