300 YEN!!!

Speaking of Japanese advertising methods, here's a few from the streets of Sendai -


I'm not sure why this store thought a suspiciously tanned body builder in a Darth Vader mask would entice passers-by. Maybe it's the fact that he appears to be selling for only 300 YEN.


Here a familiar face turns sinister as it gropes the air with lifeless hands.


I'm not really sure what he's selling but that little girl sure seems interested.

To the Dogs...

Every so often you experience something that can only be described as a triumph.

About two years ago I heard the song 'To the Dogs or Whoever' by Josh Ritter for the first time. The instruments, vocals, lyrics, all make you want to throw your fist in the air, celebrating the pure triumphant joy the music shares.


Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox is no different.


The stop-motion is refreshing and charming. The characters, well-designed, directed and cast, are easy to love and identify with even after only a few quick scenes. The shots and framing are pure genius, artful and emotional.

And as with every Wes Anderson film, the music is a treat. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the theater, the knowledgeable* included, who got the tender reference to another animated film starring two enamored foxes. If it hadn't of won me over by then, the strains of Bruns and Huddleston's Academy Award nominated "Love" certainly would have had me pumping my fist in the air in triumphant joy.

Simply put, go see it.


*For a more finely articulated toast to Mr. Fox, visit Mr. O'Connor's review here. I couldn't agree more.

Hemingway Would Be Proud

For those who don't know I adopted a fantastic feline last Thursday.

His name is Behemoth ('B' for short). He's a black Maine Coon mix, has approximately seven toes on each foot and is prone to sticking his tongue out. He also sounds a bit like a Cylon when he purrs.


When I rescued him from an apartment housing at least 14 cats, 4 dogs and 3 children he looked a bit like this.


Now, thanks to the wonderful girls at Petco, he looks more like this.


Hopefully, in a month or so, he'll look more like this.

Windows 7 Whopper

I'm sure we've all seen the commercials for the new Windows 7, almost as grating as those arrogant Mac commercials. Maybe if I still ate meat, Japan's approach to advertising would have won me over.


Documented here by my friend Eric Robinson, a resident of Tokyo (where he has a plush job designing video games for a major studio - he can see Mt Fuji from his office!) this re-envisioned Burger King Whopper holds 7 -


Yes, 7, 'all-beef' patties. Now, while I can't ignore the very neat and organized tray (try getting that at your local Burger King) I must point out that Japan's population has been slowly tipping the scales in the past ten years, though certainly nowhere near America's waistline.


Yet.

Like to take a minute, just sit right there...

You should all go here.

When you get here you should watch the web-ad at the top of the page (click on EXPAND). Then, you should click on the ad and check out the webpage that it links to.


Somewhere on the webpage, you might come across these.

All of the above, I worked on, start to finish as my first official job for Asterisk Animation. The art is created by Steve Brodner with the animation and coding handled mostly by yours truly. I can't take credit for the great animation that opens the website (especially the super-awesome fire effect) - that's all Christina Riley.

Of course, if you don't want to click on any of the above links, you don't have to. But then you'll never find out what Big ERP is (we never really did)...

Boils n' Ghouls

Last year I spent Halloween at home handing out candy to the two kids that stumbled upon my parent's house in Warwick. This year I got to take it all in from a spectator's point-of-view while waiting for Murray the Cat to get a clean bill of health.


Not Murray the Cat, but close to how he was feeling all day.


The best part about this home's decor...


...was their next-door neighbor's lack-there-of. Something tells me once Christmas comes a-calling, they'll deck the halls.


Or else...


Based on this kid's reaction I'd say this was the fifth or sixth time he spilled his candy.


And while there were some great runners-up, this boy won for Most Confusing Costume.


And, of course, Best Couples Costume.


Cutest, though, goes to the dog-topus (and French to boot!)

Lisez Ceci Avant de Commencer a Utiliser Votre Outil Dremel

I bought a dremel well over a month ago and finally found a few hours this past Sunday to break out and see what that guy at Home Depot was talking about.


Unfortunately, all I had for eye protection were these.


Needless to say I wasn't able to get much done (apart from spend an hour or two pouring over the manual). Luckily, my landlord lent me a pair of safety glasses the following evening.


Rat's done, moving on to the Possum. I'm sure that'll make more sense in the future.


And yes, I'm wearing a robe I stole from a ryokan in Japan. Between that and the bandana, I look like some lame reject from a Tarantino flick.