2012....Reflections

Besides an online Art gallery of projects past and present, I guess this blog is really the place for my year end lists. Hopefully, if your visiting this, you'll run across something that piques your interest. 

Another crazy year down the hatch. And I mean that in an absolutely awesome way. 

  

Here are the flicks that really "GOT" me this year.

I didn't make it out to The Hobbit or Django Unchained, so they will undoubtedly be on next years list. It's not really fair to every other filmmaker on the planet for Tarantino to release a film so close to years end. 

10. The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence

Dir: Tom Six

Yeah, Yeah, it came out last year, blah. I'm not concerned with that. My only concern is that I saw it this year and it's one of "those" movies. The kind where, upon it's conclusion, I can't say whether I actually enjoyed it, yet it haunted me for days after. Laurence R Harvey is THE creepiest movie villian, IMHO, of all time. He just skeeves me. You can either view this as the most tasteless and disgusting fart joke ever, or you can try to take it seriously. Either way, it's just plain, ol' nasty, repulsive, extreme entertainment. Sorta. Bravo Tom Six. Your a purveyor of fine filth.

9. Prometheus

Dir: Ridley Scott

Plot holes, complaints, whiners...........Whatever. I don't love Art because everything makes sense. I saw this in the theater three times in 3D. I loved loooking at it that much. Nuff said.

8. Cabin in the Woods

Dir: Drew Goddard

Yes, immensely popular and deservingly so. For my buck, this is the best re-imagining of a classic horror flick we all know and love (with it's very own remake coming soon). 

7. It's In The Blood

Dir: Scooter Downey

Riveting and emotionally charged. Lance Henrikson gives the performance of his career. Beautifully disturbing.

6. Monster Road

Dir: Brett Ingram

A 2004 documentary about Stop Motion Animator/Legend, Bruce Bickford. This can only be described by me as "endless inspiration."

5. Beyond the Black Rainbow

Dir: Panos Cosmatos

I've only seen the last 15min once. The preceding hour and change ahead of it, I've stared at countless times. A beautiful, unnerving experience, with lots of extra points for style.

4. Adam Chaplin

Dir: Emanuele DeSanti

All I did was sit back and smile. I give strong kudos to ANY artist who works within their means to create something with ambition and style. This is far from perfection (I, myself would have cut out at least 20min of this film) but who gives a shit, it frickin rocks. Maybe you've seen it all before but this flick just makes me......Happy. Also a strong F-Yeah for some seriously awesome animatronic puppets, practical FX and CGI on a budget.

3. Paranorman

Dir: Chris Butler and Sam Fenn

If you talk to me for 5min, you'll find out pretty quickly that all I REALLY care about these days is Stop Motion Animation. Other than kinda/sorta squashing a dream project of my own, I love this film.

2. John Dies At The End

Dir: Don Coscarelli

I can't descibe this film other than to say, it's fan-fucking-tastic. If you like watching the same ol' shit, day in day out, steer clear. If you like buckling yourself in for one helluva ride, this is the one for you. Don Coscarelli is the only heavy-hitter diector from "back in the day" who has any sort of current relevance. Wes Craven, you fucking two-bite, pile of wombatt shit, I'm looking at you, GUY!

1. Lovely Molly

Dir: Eduardo Sanchez

Yep. Lovely Molly. No shit. This year, I purposely avoided anything that may have been too emotionally devastating. The past few years have seen some films come and go that took me months to shake. If Art's purpose is to, in fact, make you feel, then these films killed it. Personally, in my life, this year was already filled to the brim with emotions, good, bad and otherwise. So I copped out on many a flick, cuz I just wasn't "handling it." Except this one. And it shook me to my core. It's leaves more questions than answers. Leading Lady, Gretchen Lodge's performance as Molly, destroys me. Much like Ashley Bell of The Last Exorcism, the amount of turmoil and distress that is bestowed upon poor Molly weighes heavily on my heart. Not to mention one of the most haunting endings I've seen in a while. Brilliant. I love it.

2011....Reflections.

2011.

What an interesting, exciting, heart-breaking and ultimately rewarding year.

Half the year was spent seeing the release of my band's first album (more on that in a sec) and creating Stop Motion music videos to accompany it.  The other half of the year was spent in a virtual fantasy world, away from modern inventions, including cell phones and internet, alone with a few close friends and my thoughts. I felt the tides shift in 2011. In 2012, with my comrades at my side, I'm gonna ride this wave til either my ankles break or I run out of steam. Which will NEVER happen :-)

Here's a couple "year end" lists for those of ya that like this sort of thing.

Music

Regrettably, I didn't get around to listening to as much new music as I like to. Or maybe I'm just getting harder to please. A handful of some of my favorite artists released albums that I just wasn't taken by. But I will say, for my short list, that I probably listened to each of these records 500 times apiece.

Bon Iver
S/T


Once I heard double bass and horns layered atop ringleader Justin Vernon's etheral voicescapes, I became a junkie. This is good shit : unpredictable and gorgeous. I'd liken it to lying in the warm sun with your special someone or that calm a person feels after a deeply satisfying bowel movement. Doesn't hurt that this is homebrew for me : Vernon is a fellow Wisconsinite, making his albums in good ol' Eau Claire. I used to date a girl from there :-)

Today is the Day
Pain is a Warning

This came outta nowhere for me. I make no excuses and it's not a joke that Today is the Day is one of my absolute favorite bands. Since first hearing "Temple of the Morning Star" back in 1996, I've been in love with the pure sonic hatred mainman Steve Austin is able release. Every album has been a different monster. In the last few years, I rarely felt the need to punish my eardrums in this manner. Call it age or maybe I'm just not as pissed as I once was. While surfing the web, I find out TITD has a new freakin record out. I immediately purchased it, grabbed my six-pack and headphones and blasted off to the darkest dimension. Awesome.

Drive Original Soundtrack
Cliff Martinez and V/A

This is the year I came to terms with my love of cheesy, 80's styled synth pop. This S/T brings me right back to being a teen in that decade.

Mastodon
The Hunter


This band rules. This album rules. Undeniably catchy, if you listen to it three times and don't find yourself humming any number of hooks, you just don't like really well-written songs of a heavier nature.
Major props for the killer AJ Fosik cover.

Zombi
Escape Velocity

After the half incredible, half redundant poo of Spirit Animal, the Zombi duo breaks things down and release a dance album. I'm no fan of techno or house music, but throw some analog synths over that thumping beat and I'm dancing around my art studio like Michael Jackson, without the moves.

The Other Side of Morning
Letters from your Love, The Madman

Top 10 Films of 2011


Not all of these are 2011 releases, but this was the year I was able to view them.

10. Insidious
Director: James Wan


I caught this on the big screen and it was an absolute blast. Never have I heard a crowd scream as loudly and as often as this one. Normally, an obnoxious crowd will ruin most films, but I jumped more than once and even let out a few "Holy Fucks" of my own. I felt right at home. While I still really dig the film, my second and third viewings didn't quite fair as well. Couple little things irked me (Darth Maul) but still, a great supernatural horror film that reminds me of Poltergeist in all the right ways.

9. Red State
Director: Kevin Smith


Kevin Smith. You willy maniac, you. Last summer, it occurred to me that I didn't own one Smith film. Ten minutes and $20 later, I ordered Clerks, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob and Mallrats. These were the ones I remember really digging. I hated Chasing Amy and never made it around to Zack and Miri. Upon viewing these four, only Clerks and Dogma held up for me. Having heard Smith was doing a Horror film, my curiosity was piqued. I found not one dash of the juvenile humor he is known for. What I got was a clever re-telling of the David Koresh debacle with a huge dallop of social criticism on the side. Michael Parks performance as crazed, religious nut-job Abin Cooper, was a joy to behold.

8. Attack the Block
Director: Joe Cornish


Action-packed, funny as hell and the coolest looking monsters I've seen in years.

7. The Bunny Game
Director: Adam Rehmeier


Disturbing, almost beyond description. For my in-depth two cents check out:
http://www.theconduitspeaks.com/2011/04/hes-baaaack.html
I get it. It's bad.

6. I Saw The Devil
Director : Jee-Woon Kim


 This South Korean gem is taunt, nerve-wracking and hyper-violent. It's surely got it's share of plot holes and unanswered questions, but with a runtime of approx 2.5 hrs, this one flew by. I'm looking forward to  Jee-Woon Kim's next film, which boasts the Governator's return to the silver screen.

5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
dir: Rupert Wyatt


This was exactly what I wanted it to be. As a youngin, I spent many an hour viewing the original series and always wondered how the apes came into power. Natch. The cast was superb and the action not over-done. Endless accolades go to Andy Serkis, for once again injecting SO much life, pain, joy and sorrow into a CGI created character.

4. Marwencol
Director: Jeff Malmberg


Loved it. A documentary chronicling a man's rehabilitation after a life-threatening attack, the subject of the film, Mark Hogancamp is my long-lost brother. I've never had my skull beaten in by a group of homophobic idiots, but I, like Mark, prefer to live in the valleys of my imagination.

3. Red, White and Blue
Director: Simon Rumley


Emotionally devastating. The performances Rumley was able to coax from Amanda Fuller, Marc Senter and the inimitable Noah Taylor are monumental. When the film ended, I literally sat for at least an hour, speechless. My only two beefs are pretty petty, concerning Senter's character, Franki. Dude, the feather earrings, lose em. And the Texas tattoo? Bad move, brother :-/

2. Drive
Director: Nicholas Winding Refn


Outstanding in every element that pulls me into a film. The cast, unforgettable. The unfolding of the plot and the complexities of the characters, top notch. The nod of the head to the 80's, RAD. One common criticism I've heard about the film is the violence. My mind wanders to one scene in particular, a scene that leap from complete beauty to unrestrained violence in a nano second. If you havn't seen the film, what the fuck!! Even I managed to get out for this one and I spent four months of this year in solitude, far from any cinema! Any-hoo, if you havn't seen it, this may be a spoiler of sorts. I'm talking about the elevator scene. Gosling's character, Driver, is flanked on one side by Carey Mulligan, Irene and a hit-man sent to kill both of them, on the other. Drivers entire intention, from the moment he lets down his guard with Irene earlier in the film, is to protect her and her young child. He will go to ANY length to guard her. He looks to her and goes in for, IMO, one of the greatest on-screen kisses ever. As he kisses her, he knows. He knows this will be the only kiss he will ever share with her, because when she sees what he is prepared to do in order to protect her, she could never love or see him again. The act of brutality that follows hammers that point home, when he literally kicks the hit-man's head to a pulp. It was with this scene that I knew I was watching a masterpiece. I even got a little tear in my eye.

1. Enter the Void
Director: Gaspar Noe


How do you describe this film? To me, it's beyond just a movie. This is a real, breathing, living piece of Art. Noe's last film, Irreversible, while excellent and inventive in its own right, is just TOO disturbing to rewatch, at least for this guy. I went through every emotion possible while experiencing this film. From Oscar's drug hallucinations, to his demise, through his memories of his shattered childhood with his sister, Linda, to his dream state in the afterlife and right up to his reincarnation, this is a bold, stunning ride to take. An almost literal interpretation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, it is my opinion that every choice Noe made with this film was the right one. 

Honorable Mentions

A Horrible Way To Die
Director: Adam Wingard


Fantastic thriller.

Trollhunter
Director: Andre' Ovredal


A found footage Norwegian flick, this thing is beyond flawed in the common sense department. At a bloated 1:45 runtime, this film would've been a real winner if the fat were trimmed a bit. But damn do I love these Trolls : their backstories, their eating habits,  methods of removal, etc. I'd watch a sequel.

Little Deaths
Directors: Sean Hogan, Andrew Parkinson and Simon Rumley


This is a mixed bag for me. An anthology of three short films, the first one, House and Home, has a bit of sexual nastiness to it. While intriguing, it ultimately reminded me of a Tales from the Crypt episode with more gore and bodily fluids. The second tale, Mutant Tool, just does nothing for me. I've seen it twice and twice it put me to sleep. To me, sans films like The August Underground or Guinea Pig series, this is gross-out just for the sake of it. There just isn't enough character or plot development to get me to care. The last short, titled Bitch, is worth the price of admission alone. This is the winner. No surprise to find it was written and directed by Simon Rumsley, earlier mentioned for Red, White and Blue. With his track record, I will eagerly be waiting for whatever he directs next.


Television

Breaking Bad

Seasons 1-4

It's been a LONG time since I've fell for a made for a cable series. Probably not since Six Feet Under. I've seen the first four seasons of Dexter and lost interest. I gave The Walking Dead a look, but zombies are almost as lame to me as vampires have always been. American Horror Story is RIDONKULOUS! And I'll be getting into Game of Thrones soon enough. 

The story of Walter White and what measures he will take to support his family as he deals with lung cancer is all-engrossing. Bryan Cranston, as our hero/anti-hero is positively brilliant. And who doesn't love seeing Bob Odenkirk as the sleaze-ball attorney, Saul Goodman. Great cast, great plot, great drama and  some very messy violence. BRAVO!!

Guess that about wraps it up. 

Heres a little of whats in the slow cooker for 2012. 

First, I'm giddy like a teenage girl to be starting production on my own film. I'm not gonna say much yet, other than it's definetly Horror, the script is almost complete and I'll be using the medium of Stop Motion Animation to bring this ghastly tale to life. The title is, tenatively, Old Skin. I'll be posting updates and pics here, so stay tuned!!

Second, it looks like life with the band is about to get a-whole-lot-more interesting. We've got some equally exciting plans for this year, but again, until things are cruising down the right road comfortably, I'm not gonna let the cat outta the bag. 

If that doesn't keep me busy and smiling, than I don't know what will. 

Happy 2012 everyone :-)

your freak with a brush, 

Tom

Beginning/End/Beginning

If seven months ago, anybody would have told me that I would spend the next half year working with Stop Motion Animation and that I was going to fall in love with it, I woulda thought them fluckin whack. While a fan of the medium, it just seemed like WAY too much work. Upon buying a cheap digital camera last year, I knocked my brain around in my jug, trying to think of something clever, unique and most importantly, cheap, that I could sink my creative teeth into. Like anytime I try and force an idea, I came up with nothing. As TOSOM neared the completion of our debut album, naturally we discussed music video ideas. "Cold, Blue World" seemed like a nice one to start with, as a sort of teaser for the record. Stop Motion was brought up and at first, I balked. I had been working on a piece of Art that was an industrial wreck of a city, made from garbage I'd collected when cleaning my Art studio. Toilet paper rolls, empty bottles of soda and mouthwash, you know, trash. The muse dropped her load on my head and before I knew it I was shooting test footage of some very rough animations of a little guy we named "Yogi". After many weeks of trying different techniques, I started getting sequences that I quite liked. Like any kind of Art I attempt, I basically made it up as I went. Either that, or my soul was communing with Artistic drifters from another plane. Both explanations work for me :-) 

As I was completing "Cold, Blue", something tragic happened to my laptop, resulting in zero footage retained from the video. After a quick spell of anger (TIME: 20 min. RESULT: broke the set in half) and an even briefer spell of depression (TIME: 10 min. RESULT: A trip to the store for a six-pack), I decided to fess up to a little voice that had been polluting my head for the week prior. This little prick, let's call him Nardner, lives in a cavity in the back most molar on the right side of my mouth. Nardner had been teasing that I should redo the whole video anyway.  He thought the first minute looked pretty shitty compared to the second, as I fumble fucked my way through this experiment. Well, he was right. Now I had to re-shoot it, or say fuck it, which is just not part of who I am. After reassembling the set and getting the laptop fixed, I began. Somewhere in the first sequence, I bumped a light, casting a long dark shadow across the already barren, industrial landscape. The clouds parted, and no bullshit, I saw the "light." These little moments of clarity, which would (and will) make a pro laugh, are the moments I enjoy the most when creating. To me, they are the direct link to the child-like passion most people have sapped and squeezed out of them as they mature. I count my many blessings on a daily basis but this one could be one of my faves :-)

This is one of the first Stop Motion videos I saw that really turned my head. My close friend, David Brocca showed it too me a few years back, when we were spending 8hrs a day storyboarding "Clowns VS Ninjas." For those of you reading this that are fans of John Carpenter's "The Thing", and have never seen  this video, by the french duo Zombie Zombie,  get ready to see some cool shit :-)

Pretty frickin, cool, eh? 

I love quotes. Great quotes from great artists are sometimes more inspiring to me than the Art itself. Here's one that had a profound effect on me.

"It would be interesting to see exactly what four people could do, if just given the equipment, who didn't know anything about it and told to get on with it and do something. I think we'd come off better."

David Gilmour from Live at Pompeii

I was raised in the best possible environment, which is why I didn't become a serial killer ;-) I was taught that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. The first time I saw" Pink Floyd-Live at Pompeii", to say it was revelatory is a grand understatement. Amidst in what I laughingly call my "hippie years", the circumstances under which I saw this concert on film were, let's say, outside the box. This quote sent my cranium into a frenzy. The morals my parents raised me with will always be applicable to being a civil, determined and considerate human being. But in no way shape or form should these laws be applied to the creation of Art. I recall reading something, recently, that Quentin Tarantino said, something to the effect of "if you make a movie and there isn't one thing in there that you aren't embarrassed to show your Mom, you didn't put enough of yourself into the piece." I love that. My lovely Mother knows to approach all my Art with caution,  knowing that even though I may create a terrible image or circumstance, I'm still her sweet, little boy.

My brother, Dan and I on Halloween, 1975

All Hail The New Flesh

Wellllllll, dip me in gas and light a match!!! Watch out!! This rotten, old horrorhound  has got himself a new blog, ripe with information both disturbing and at the same time FUN. That is if you think deformed specimens, scenes of unrest and dismay and a guy with an unwavering dedication to all things BIZARRE is fun. Which you should.

 I'm a creature of change. Ditching the old website for something new took me approx 35 seconds to decide. In this blog I'll be sharing all forms of Art I'm involved with, the creation of that Art, the inspiration behind it, and a running commentary on whatever happens to pique my interest. The only thing I will NOT being doing on this blog is shit talking or reviews of any kind. Sure, everybodys got an opinion and I'm no different. But I am not a critic, nor would I ever want be. The focus will be on the good stuff, the stuff I can't wait to share.

If your squeamish, overly religious, easily offended, or have no time for fantasy or the imagination, then avoid this blog at all costs. Censorship doesn't bode well with me. I truly believe there is a time, place and tact to discussing ANYTHING. I will do so, of my own free will. If you DO find yourself becoming turned off by the subject matter or scenes depicted, that's your problem, Pal. Don't say you weren't warned:-)