Author Archives: Cimaxion

Star Odyssey: Ludicrous 1978 Italian Star Wars Rip-Off

by Cimaxion

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Hopefully, you have never seen ‘Star Odyssey,’ also known as ‘the Italian Star Wars.’

Now is your chance! It’s a full immersion into cinema of the ludicrous. For your convenience, it’s dubbed into English. Beware though, you will never look at science fiction the same way again after subjecting yourself to this assault.

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One can only hope that at least the actors might have had some fun making this, but unfortunately most of them appear to be thinking about the food truck instead of their lines.

Its awful history goes back to 1978, barely a year after the real Star Wars was released. Its unforgivable direction is credited to one Alfonso Brescia, heaven rest his soul.

The primary achievements of this interstellar fiasco appear to be robots constructed from trash cans and light sabers fashioned out of painted plywood.

Enjoy this Italian treat in the comfort of a nice quiet insane asylum.

The Little Mermaid: 1968 Soviet Animation of the Tale by Hans Christian Andersen

by Cimaxion

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This is a beautiful 1968 Soviet adaptation of ‘The Little Mermaid,’ by Hans Christian Andersen. It was produced by the great Soyuzmultfilm studio. There are no subtitles. Just enjoy it as a brilliantly animated musical approach to a great tale.

The film begins with a busload of tourists sightseeing in Copenhagen. Then it moves to sea and our story begins…

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The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights: Russian Fairytale Animation

by Cimaxion

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This is a 1951 Russian animation of an 1833 fairytale poem written by Alexander Pushkin that is based upon the classic Grimms tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was directed by Ivan Pyetrovich Ivanov-Vano, known as the ‘patriarch of Soviet animation.’

You can read Pushkin’s The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights.

The film is in Russian so you can use the YouTube settings to turn on English subtitles.

Prince Releases Baltimore Protest Song

by Cimaxion

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About the Time Magazine Cover Photo Image

Prince has released a direct hit to the terrifying and brutal police in the United States with his new single, ‘Baltimore.’

In case you were holed up somewhere in a cave of denial, the police in this country are engaged in a merciless war against non-whites who are not wealthy. Police in many instances simply shoot people in the back as they are fleeing, stretch them out on the ground and fire bullets into them, strangle them to death with bare hands, or break their necks completely in half.

There are no good police. If there were, you would see some of them restraining cops who have just committed murder in front of them. You would see these nonexistent good police exposing racist killer coworkers and refusing to work with them. You would see police forming their own protests against police violence. You would see police hold ceremonies to mourn innocent victims of police murder.

You don’t see it do you?

There are no good police in the United States. Those days are long gone.

Prince fights with a guitar. Not a gun. But these days, the police can just walk onto a rock & roll stage and blow away the singer right in front of an oblivious audience.

Stan: Beautiful Hand-Crafted Animated Film by Meirav Haber

by Cimaxion

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I recently went into the Hive Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. Making my way toward the back of the long row of artists’ stalls – for all intents and purposes an artists’ neighborhood – I encountered an animated film playing on an iPad that was hung on the wall of the display area for artist Meirav Haber. It caught my attention because of the gorgeous and finely detailed handmade dolls she uses for her animation. This kind of filmmaking has become something of a rarity in our CG world. So now the eye seeks out the human touch. Finding it is a pleasure.

Haber has an unusually quiet and calm approach to telling her story. We are encouraged to watch the character and look for the details in his surroundings. The details are incredible. Watch the film through, then go back and pause it to have a look around. Enjoy the work of a master at her craft.

This kind of animation is done in a small studio on tabletop sets built by the artist. It’s all about imagination connected to the hand.

Stan is a simply told tale about a man who was born with an unfortunate resemblance to the Devil. His efforts to gain acceptance and companionship essentially turn him toward an appreciation for odd objects that closely resembles the artistic impulse. Haber’s beautiful film is made entirely with the magnificent hand-crafted artworks of an amazing artist.

Continue reading …

Flying the Airplane of Tomorrow in 1948 Popular Science Film

by Cimaxion

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Northrop’s Flying Wing was a spectacular monoplane built in 1947. Apparently, people had visions of putting bars into these things and flying lots of comfortable passengers around. Too bad flying never became this luxurious at all. This promotional film from the Popular Science series has some gorgeous make believe shots inside the aircraft.