Made for a premodern Japanese literature class by me and my friends. Our project (3 separate films) translated poems from the Kokinshu, Manyoshu, and Shinkokinshu (3 Japanese poetry anthologies) into the content and visual styles of our films.  Unfortunately I have lost the Shinkokinshu film file.

See my friend Susannah’s Kokinshu film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlwGXFiapQE

My main influences here were Antonioni’s ‘Red Desert’ and ‘Blow-Up.’ I tried to reflect the ambiguous yet simple voice in the Manyoshu poems in a cinematic style reminiscent of Italian Neorealism.

Concept, Cinematography, Direction, Production – Recca Phoenix
Boy – An Hoang
Girl – Susannah Davidson

Edited in iMovie
Titles edited in Final Cut Pro

(c) 2007 Reccalux

Latest, first, and most likely only episode of my show for mods.  And by mods, I mean those belonging to Mod (subculture), not computer modifiers.

I now present the blogosphere debut of Reccalux’s greatest film to date: my experimental collage animation “Liberty Eyes”.

My main stylistic influence was Ken Jacobs.

My film examines colonialism and its aftereffects in Ghana via handpainted movie posters and Nana Agyemang Ofosu’s poem “Virgin Liberty”. It also comments on cultural “dumping”. “Liberty Eyes” screened at the UC Berkeley Pacific Film Archive in 2010 as part of the Film And Video Makers At Cal program “Fleshed Out.”

source: bluebeat.com

Hey there again, fans of lounge, mod, and funky stuff.  Another modtastic set of groovy instrumentals can be found in the three-volume Beat At Cinecittá series of CDs.

All the music on these albums comes from Italian exploitation cinema of the ’60s and ’70s and ranges from bossa to jazz to psych to go-go….with some playful novelty numbers here and there.  If this sounds like your kind of scene, I would highly recommend this set.  Volume 1 has the strongest material of the three, with Volume 2 containing most of the fun and weird numbers.  Alas, there doesn’t seem to be much information on the source films (wherefore art thou, liner notes?), but the songs are enjoyable enough on their own divorced from the content of their visual counterparts.

If you think you’re groovy….in the words of P.P. Arnold….check it out!

Recca 5/12/11

source: wikipedia

First of all, a real connection exists between Arzach and Hayao Miyazaki‘s manga (and later movie) Nausicäa of the Valley of Wind.  The manga version of Nausicäa highly resembles French comics far more than conventional Japanese manga.  It has similar motifs of post-disaster decay, a future world, emptiness, and flying, along with the “ancient technology” feel.  Miyazaki has even cited Moebius as an influence on this work.

squiggly tentacle grass in Arzach

Nausicäa walks on squiggly "grass" made of Ohm tentacles

And lastly, the arbitrary connection – Yes’s album Fragile. The cover and interior artwork by Roger Dean evokes a similar feeling, and even features an “ancient technology” flying machine.

Fragile by Yes (source: wikipedia)

interior artwork of Fragile

Nausicäa in the desert

2nd interior artwork of Fragile

Nausicäa in the toxic forest (note background)

Nausicäa's greenhouse

The music itself as well contributes to the feeling of an empty landscape.  “Roundabout,” while its lyrics are hard to decipher, seems to tell of love in hardship, and “South Side of the Sky” features wind sound effects and mentions snowstorms and other natural hazards. The harmonies and vocals in many of the songs also hint at something ancient.  Furthermore, the electronic elements and beats resemble Nausicäa‘s soundtrack.

Nausicäa: Ohmu to Boso

Fragile: Heart of the Sunrise

Fragile: Cans and Brahms

Nausicäa: Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa

Fragile: Roundabout

I highly recommend listening to Fragile in its entirety; it’s a superb album by one of the founding bands of British progressive rock and features some killer bass work and Rick Wakeman’s fantastic synthesizer riffs.

The airships on the back cover of Fragile even bring to mind the airships in Nausicäa.

back cover of Fragile

Nausicäa flies to an airship

Unfortunately, this connection fails to indicate the direct influence of Moebius, as the album was completed 4 years before Arzach.  I suppose, though, that one can cite 1970s fantasy and sci-fi artwork (think Heavy Metal magazine, etc.) as the common influence on both works, though.  And as for the Nausicäa connection… who knows what Joe Hisaishi was listening to when he composed the film’s soundtrack?

-Recca 2/17/11

Why Gap’s “new” logo was a good idea:

• The old typeface was kinda ’90s: Let’s face it, the logo could look a bit more modern.
• Helvetica is GOD – Everyone loves the look of Helvetica and it makes for a sleek, modern look.  I know it may have been a bit copycat-ish on Gap’s part because of American Apparel, but I liked it.
• Hipsters – they love Helvetica too.  Big potential target market.
• IT’S MODERNIST – I loved the sleek modern look.
• disconnect – Gap remodeled their interiors to match it too (with copious Helvetica use ♥), but now these interiors don’t match the exterior logo.  Lame.
• Less is more – Again, modernist logo was better.

Plus, why did they cave in to public pressure and withdraw?  Is it the internet age?  I’m sorry, but just because you can comment about ANYTHING on the internet doesn’t mean that your opinion should influence giant corporations.  I know this is the age of Web 2.0 interactivity, but come on people….it’s just a logo.  And besides, everyone knows that the general public (esp. web flamers) have no sense of design or style.

*And just a note: I had no major qualms against the old logo, but I do prefer the new one.*

So It Goes – Q.I.

A vaguely Jamaican-synth-elevator-muzak theme song is accompanied by some vaguely unexciting graphics.

Massive applause as we enter THE QI STUDIO!

Stephen Fry: Goooooooooooooooooo

this goes on for several minutes…

Stephen: …ooooooooooooooooooooood Evening! Good Evening! Good Evening!  And welcome to Q.I.!  Today’s episode is all about…..JAUTOMOBILES!

Erm….Stephen….I believe that starts with an “A”…..but we are in Series “J,” after all.

And it’s not the job of the italics to provide comment.  Do continue. ^^;;

Stephen: And today as our guests we have the lovely Jo Brand!

Jo has a smug look on her face.

Stephen: The not-British Rich Hall!

Rich looks vaguely angry.

Stephen: Bill Bailey!

Bill gives the camera a wry look.

Stephen: and…..Alan Davies.

Alan looks goofy.

Stephen: So, now that I have introduced all of you and everyone has laughed at Alan’s novelty buzzer noise, let’s begin.  Why do we not drive on the right side of the road in Britain?

A picture of an old man in a quaint British car driving along the road appears on the backdrop screens.

Alan: The Blue Whale!

Jo: My husband tried driving on the wrong side of the road once.  And then he still complained about me not hoovering the room the right way…

Rich: Because you’re wrong.

The audience laughs hysterically at Rich’s joke, while he sits there with the same angry expression, totally deadpan.

Stephen goes into a lengthy explanation of the answer.  All are amazed.

Stephen: Now, what animal….is larger than several large lorries?

Alan: The Blue Whale!

Wrong answer buzzers go off.

Audience laughs at Alan.

Alan: It had to be right this time, I thought….

Stephen once again corrects a succession of wrong answers with wit and grace.  All are amazed.

Jo: My husband was a lorry driver once…

Things continue in this vein for a good twenty minutes.

Stephen: Well, everyone, it’s time for the scores!

Stephen tallies up the scores somehow.  Alan places last.  Stephen provides a witty quote and the programme ends, everyone feeling satisfaction at having learned many quite interesting facts (no pun intended).

• Main Store (Recca Phoenix): http://www.cafepress.com/reccaphoenix
• Mod designs, Clockwork Orange shirts, other witty word shirts http://www.cafepress.com/phoenixwords
• Photography Store (Phoenix Flash) http://www.cafepress.com/phoenixflash

Check ‘em out and help support Recca Phoenix in all her endeavors! ♥

To see some sample images of a few of my products, check out my merchandise page.

• Super intelligence – It only makes you frustrated (think Sherlock Holmes) because no one can understand you and you have no one to relate to.  Which would probably cause you to go insane and use your powers for eeeeevilll.

• Invisibility – You can’t wear clothes, which makes it impossible to go anywhere because you would probably step on a piece of glass or a tack or something.  Not to mention feeling cold in the wintertime.

• Animal shapeshifting – I have to admit that this one is pretty cool…except for the fact that you have to be naked to do it, and that people might shoot you with a tranquilizer gun and take you to the zoo.

• Magic – No one will believe you and the scientific community will go crazy trying to explain it.  You will probably have to undergo experimentation by the U.S. Government.

• Channel Changing Boy (you know him; he was a background character in the X-men movie…) – yes, you don’t have to get up to change the channel.  But you will probably become obese because of that.

• Controlling nature in some way – all natural forces seem hard to control.  Fire, wind, water, wild aminals, you name it – they all have the potential for mass destruction…  Don’t start fires, kids.

So stick to inventing robots and gadgets.  Radiation and “evolution” are not the way.  Nor is magic.

So It Goes: Jeeves and Wooster

BERTIE WOOSTER, idle riche, is enjoying himself at his gentleman’s club.

Club Worker: Mr. Wooster, one of your rich and annoying female relatives is here to see you.

Bertie: I’m not here.

Club Worker: I already told her that.

Bertie meets with said relative.

Relative: Bertie, you have to fulfill a social obligation that will somehow impinge on your ridiculous amounts of free time.

Bertie: Never!

Relative: I’ll take some of your ridiculously large allowance if you don’t.

Bertie: I’ll do it then.

Bertie is at home in his bachelor pad.  He has just finished playing a jaunty novelty song on the piano.  Jeeves does not understand novelty songs.

Bertie: Jeeves, I have an ingenious plan to weasel out of my social obligation and/or solve a romantic problem of one or more of my good friends and cousins with unusual names.

Jeeves: Indeed, sir.

Bertie: Jeeves, you don’t approve?

Jeeves:……………..

Bertie:……………..

Jeeves: Very well, sir.

Bertie: Pack my bags!

Bertie and Jeeves have arrived at a stately country home, which will provide the setting for Bertie’s antics and failures.

Bertie has just embarrassed himself at dinner.

Bertie: What did I say that was wrong, Jeeves?  I thought I was very witty.

Jeeves: Indeed, sir.

Bertie: Well, nothing can interfere with my masterly plan which cannot possibly go wrong, seeing as it relies upon doing things in pitch-black darkness where I might mistake someone’s identity, and upon my having figured out exactly and precisely what everybody is thinking……

Jeeves: ……..Very good, sir.  Might I suggest instead that you do the much simpler thing and….

Jeeves outlines his much more sensible alternative.

Bertie: Don’t be silly, Jeeves.  My idea is foolproof.

Jeeves: Very good, sir.

Later that night, Bertie’s plan has spectacularly failed, yet Jeeves has come to his rescue somehow.  And everybody in the TV audience wonders how our young fool was saved.

Bertie: My God, Jeeves, how did you pull that one off?

Jeeves: Well, sir…..

Jeeves outlines his impeccably perfect plan for saving Bertie’s ass.

Bertie: I am so glad I hired you.

Jeeves: Indeed sir, perhaps I might perform some domestic chore for you?

Bertie: Go ahead.

-END-

This is actually one of my favorite shows.  I think the chemistry between Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie is just unbeatable.  Nonetheless, the formula is fun to poke fun at