I don't have cable right now so I'm rewatching old shows and movies. A lot of them are animated. Such is my way. I'd like to have a nobler reason for rewatching them--something like when James 
Let's say you're the newly-sentient internet. How would you decipher
the meaning of all the bits and bytes whizzing past you? And what about
the real world outside your electronic realm?
Former Comics Editor, Guy Leshinski
has very kindly given us permission to reprint a prophetic interview
with Bryan Lee O'Malley in 2005. Will Bryan Lee O'Malley attain the
Holy Grail of cartoonists? As Bryan says, "We'll see..."
Results tagged “France” from The Cultural Gutter
"Girls Suck at Video Games"
Stéphanie Mercier uses gameplay to make a point in her short, "Girls Suck at Video Games."
Christopher Lee Is Metal.
Christopher Lee is Metal. “I have been metal for many years,” he says in a review of his new CD, Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross.
NOT BAD
Ext. THE CITY - When you Least expect it
You're walking. The sidewalk is new, still burning moisture out of the concrete in a slow chemical reaction. You're aimless. Nothing to do.
Continue reading...
VARIETY PAK
It’s been just over a year since I became a partner in the Mayfair Theatre, Ottawa’s oldest operating cinema. We’ve shown a lot of films in that time (we average about 40 a month), and I’ve written the synopsis for almost every one.
Continue reading...
Solid Gold Star Wars Showdown
C3POs vs. Darth Vaders in this solid gold french Star Wars disco showdown.
10 Comics I Liked in 2009
It's that time of year when writers
list the year's best things. This year, some people are listing the
decade's best. And, oh, my temples ache because if there's someone
who manages to read every comic every year for a decade, let alone
every comic setting fans a-twitter, that someone's not me.
Continue reading...
Cartographic Curiosities
Step right up for your glimpse of Slate Magazine's slideshow collection of cartographic curiosities!
Weighing the Hearts of the Dead
In this age of fast zombies and
vampires sparkling in the sun, maybe it's time to remember the
overlooked, the eternally cursed, the bandaged, leathery and
passionate undead: mummies.
Continue reading...
Vive La Difference!
Britain and France have a long history together. Okay, much of that history consists of having wars with one another. But if you look at the past as a whole, having wars is pretty much what Britain did. First, it fought at home, its various tribes jockeying for position, struggling with invaders, taking over other tribes. Then later, after it discovered sailing as a disciplined science, Britain took that fight around the world. An international hello, so to speak, but with a punch in the face, rather than a civil greeting.
Continue reading...
Confessions of the B-Masters Cabal
The B-masters confess movies they haven't seen. "My viewing of Zombie Lake was one of those events that lead
you to question everything in your life that has lead up to it. I
wouldn’t necessarily say that it was a “where did I go wrong” moment,
because many of the choices that brought me to it couldn’t in
themselves be considered mistakes. Nonetheless, when you get to the
point where you see watching Zombie Lake as some kind of solemn obligation, it’s a circumstance that bares some investigation." (More shame here)
3 Trailers from Twitch
It's Twitch round-up time. Supporting martial artists Mike B. and Russell Wong take the lead kneeing and kicking people in the chest in Thanapon Maliwan's The Sanctuary. Lee Byung-Hun, Kimura Takeya and Josh Hartnett go to Hong Kong and walk the line between the police and organized crime in Tran Anh Hung's I Come with the Rain. Matsuyama Kenichi show his ninjitsu in Sai Yoichi's live-action adaptation of Kamui. (What the hell, here's another trailer for Johnnie To's Vengeance).
What's Johnnie To Up To?
You know how Johnnie To said he was taking a break after releasing Sparrow? He didn't. He's got two films coming up. I'm nervous about Vengeance starring French actor/singer Johnny Hallyday. I'm excited about Death of a Hostage because of Lau Ching-Wan. (And, yes, that looks like the Oldboy poster which brings another horror to mind. Get it out with this Mad Detective trailer).
Yellow Peril
I've learned something reading Terry and the Pirates: There's no way around the yellow peril in the Golden Age. Good comics sometimes have racist renderings in them.
Continue reading...
10 Comics I Liked in 2007
The “best of” list is a tricky seasonal form and I’m no master. I might not know what’s best, but I do know what I like. So here’s ten good comics I read in 2007.
Continue reading...
Ten To Read
I always enjoy the 'Best Of' lists that come out this time of year. Seems to me that kind of potted commentary, however limited, offers a great starting place. So in the spirit of year-end helpfulness, here's a list of ten romances worth reading. Historical and modern; sexy and mild: they run the gamut. I'm not claiming these are the best of any particular sub-genre, just that they're worth reading.
Continue reading...
Mazen Kerbaj
French comics publisher L'Association is showing some of Mazen Kerbaj's drawings and that's a good excuse to put up a link for them. Kerbaj's blog, Kerblog, is here.
Blame Society in France
Matt Sloan of Blame Society Productions went to a film festival in France and made two films, including one that uses a "popular web translation site" for its dialog. (Here's the other one, about his coup de ville).
She's The One
Like authors in every genre, romance writers cover a broad spectrum of imaginative ground. They come from a variety of backgrounds, and write to any number of inner aesthetics. Each one has a preferred archetype. From the bewilderingly naive traditional to the often bloody thriller, and every permutation in between, romance authors write to their personal tastes in in terms of pace, mood and degree of modernity. But if you were to get a group of romance writers together and ask them about their formative influences, the vast majority will mention one name: Georgette Heyer.
Continue reading...
Too Many Dragons
Fantasy fiction is overrun by dragons. The fiery beasts have become a way to spice up an otherwise standard book -- just add dragons. When I first heard about Naomi Novik's Temeraire series -- the Napoleonic Wars, a la Hornblower, except with dragons -- I sighed to myself: hasn't this been done before? Isn't this tired out?
But I should have taken the example of two other books I've looked at here on the Gutter: Butler's Fledgling, which took a new look at vampires, and Walton's excellent Tooth and Claw, which appeared to be a Victorian novel with dragons plopped in haphazardly, but at closer appearance had some rationale for it. A careful plot and some excellent storytelling will take you a long way, even if you're reusing common props like vampires or dragons.
Continue reading...
We are all Naked
WE ARE ALL NAKED (1966/69) Starring: Alain Saury, Catherine Riberio, Jacques Normand, Gerard Desales
This sex flavoured art film, a gorgeous Canada/France co-production shot in black and white with pathos and depressing drama to spare, promotes the concept that living with a poverty-stricken dysfunctional family on the beach in France -- really SUCKS.
Continue reading...
"Girls Suck at Video Games"
Stéphanie Mercier uses gameplay to make a point in her short, "Girls Suck at Video Games."
Christopher Lee Is Metal.
Christopher Lee is Metal. “I have been metal for many years,” he says in a review of his new CD, Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross.NOT BAD
Ext. THE CITY - When you Least expect it
You're walking. The sidewalk is new, still burning moisture out of the concrete in a slow chemical reaction. You're aimless. Nothing to do.
Continue reading...VARIETY PAK
It’s been just over a year since I became a partner in the Mayfair Theatre, Ottawa’s oldest operating cinema. We’ve shown a lot of films in that time (we average about 40 a month), and I’ve written the synopsis for almost every one.
Solid Gold Star Wars Showdown
C3POs vs. Darth Vaders in this solid gold french Star Wars disco showdown.10 Comics I Liked in 2009
It's that time of year when writers
list the year's best things. This year, some people are listing the
decade's best. And, oh, my temples ache because if there's someone
who manages to read every comic every year for a decade, let alone
every comic setting fans a-twitter, that someone's not me.
Cartographic Curiosities
Step right up for your glimpse of Slate Magazine's slideshow collection of cartographic curiosities!Weighing the Hearts of the Dead
In this age of fast zombies and vampires sparkling in the sun, maybe it's time to remember the overlooked, the eternally cursed, the bandaged, leathery and passionate undead: mummies.
Continue reading...Vive La Difference!
Britain and France have a long history together. Okay, much of that history consists of having wars with one another. But if you look at the past as a whole, having wars is pretty much what Britain did. First, it fought at home, its various tribes jockeying for position, struggling with invaders, taking over other tribes. Then later, after it discovered sailing as a disciplined science, Britain took that fight around the world. An international hello, so to speak, but with a punch in the face, rather than a civil greeting.
Continue reading...
Confessions of the B-Masters Cabal
The B-masters confess movies they haven't seen. "My viewing of Zombie Lake was one of those events that lead you to question everything in your life that has lead up to it. I wouldn’t necessarily say that it was a “where did I go wrong” moment, because many of the choices that brought me to it couldn’t in themselves be considered mistakes. Nonetheless, when you get to the point where you see watching Zombie Lake as some kind of solemn obligation, it’s a circumstance that bares some investigation." (More shame here)3 Trailers from Twitch
It's Twitch round-up time. Supporting martial artists Mike B. and Russell Wong take the lead kneeing and kicking people in the chest in Thanapon Maliwan's The Sanctuary. Lee Byung-Hun, Kimura Takeya and Josh Hartnett go to Hong Kong and walk the line between the police and organized crime in Tran Anh Hung's I Come with the Rain. Matsuyama Kenichi show his ninjitsu in Sai Yoichi's live-action adaptation of Kamui. (What the hell, here's another trailer for Johnnie To's Vengeance).What's Johnnie To Up To?
You know how Johnnie To said he was taking a break after releasing Sparrow? He didn't. He's got two films coming up. I'm nervous about Vengeance starring French actor/singer Johnny Hallyday. I'm excited about Death of a Hostage because of Lau Ching-Wan. (And, yes, that looks like the Oldboy poster which brings another horror to mind. Get it out with this Mad Detective trailer).
Yellow Peril
I've learned something reading Terry and the Pirates: There's no way around the yellow peril in the Golden Age. Good comics sometimes have racist renderings in them.
10 Comics I Liked in 2007
The “best of” list is a tricky seasonal form and I’m no master. I might not know what’s best, but I do know what I like. So here’s ten good comics I read in 2007.
Continue reading...
Ten To Read
I always enjoy the 'Best Of' lists that come out this time of year. Seems to me that kind of potted commentary, however limited, offers a great starting place. So in the spirit of year-end helpfulness, here's a list of ten romances worth reading. Historical and modern; sexy and mild: they run the gamut. I'm not claiming these are the best of any particular sub-genre, just that they're worth reading. Mazen Kerbaj
French comics publisher L'Association is showing some of Mazen Kerbaj's drawings and that's a good excuse to put up a link for them. Kerbaj's blog, Kerblog, is here.Blame Society in France
Matt Sloan of Blame Society Productions went to a film festival in France and made two films, including one that uses a "popular web translation site" for its dialog. (Here's the other one, about his coup de ville).
She's The One
Like authors in every genre, romance writers cover a broad spectrum of imaginative ground. They come from a variety of backgrounds, and write to any number of inner aesthetics. Each one has a preferred archetype. From the bewilderingly naive traditional to the often bloody thriller, and every permutation in between, romance authors write to their personal tastes in in terms of pace, mood and degree of modernity. But if you were to get a group of romance writers together and ask them about their formative influences, the vast majority will mention one name: Georgette Heyer.
Too Many Dragons
Fantasy fiction is overrun by dragons. The fiery beasts have become a way to spice up an otherwise standard book -- just add dragons. When I first heard about Naomi Novik's Temeraire series -- the Napoleonic Wars, a la Hornblower, except with dragons -- I sighed to myself: hasn't this been done before? Isn't this tired out?
But I should have taken the example of two other books I've looked at here on the Gutter: Butler's Fledgling, which took a new look at vampires, and Walton's excellent Tooth and Claw, which appeared to be a Victorian novel with dragons plopped in haphazardly, but at closer appearance had some rationale for it. A careful plot and some excellent storytelling will take you a long way, even if you're reusing common props like vampires or dragons.
Continue reading...We are all Naked
WE ARE ALL NAKED (1966/69) Starring: Alain Saury, Catherine Riberio, Jacques Normand, Gerard Desales
This sex flavoured art film, a gorgeous Canada/France co-production shot in black and white with pathos and depressing drama to spare, promotes the concept that living with a poverty-stricken dysfunctional family on the beach in France -- really SUCKS.
Continue reading...