BEST GOLDEN GLOBE WINNERS 2013
re: “best golden globe winners: q. who do you think were best winners?”
Hollywood is so competitive. To even attend the event or be invited in any way is quite an inspiring achievement. So my winners are listed here. Congratulations to all the winners 2013. :)
context of hollywood award shows & movie themes: We are in times where Liberty’s symbols are being redefined.
reporting: Scott Feinberg.
best photo: Mark Andrews by Jordan Strauss Invision/AP. A giant leap of joy’s jubilation. At a Hollywood event, that’s what it’s all about.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aoteroa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 14.1.13~
3D ANIMATION’S “WRECK-IT RALPH” BOXES HEAVY AT MOVIE’S BOX OFFICE WITH VIDEO GAMES REFERENCING
The future of 3D Animation is strong. After a devastating superstorm week and in the height of election campaigning who does the USA turn to?
The family staple of comfort: The American box office.
Just in: ‘Wreck-It Ralph‘ laps competish with $13.4 mil for Disney Pixar Animation Studio Team - Variety
Not bad. Good news for New Zealand too and creative people like Tribe Nikura Ngaropo, ahead.
LA Times review of the animated flick prattles on of the video games placement referencing in the movie. The storyline simple: A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.
The Times notes: “Among the pleasures of “Wreck-it- Ralph,” the Disney animated movie that has opened to strong reviews this weekend, is watching a history of video games flash before you (and, perhaps, your own history along with it).”–read@FunForTheBigKidsNation.
The success of Wreck-It Ralph is largely due to creative writers Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee with patient directing achieved by Rich Moore. John C Reilly, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch star as the film’s main actors voicing the animated toons.
~Posted by Horiwodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 4.11.12~
AVATAR SOLAR ARRAY FILM STUDIO – JAMES CAMERON ART & THE SUN
Avatar Solar Array – James Cameron’s latest project:
MNN.Com reports: Back in May 2011, after relocating his production company to the MBS Media Campus, director James Cameron constructed a massive solar array to power the next to Avatar sequels.
“These are things the studios need to be thinking about,” Cameron told the Washington Post. “When I do my next film, we’re going to go much farther than we did in terms of running a green set.
(more…)MAORI 3D ACTION MOVIES WITH CHINESE ACTORS CAST IN LEAD ROLES – CREATING A MAORI 3D ACTION MOVIE GENRE IN NEW ZEALAND
Photo: Taiaha art and Mau Rakau action characters are already teaching America’s children each day on TV. The merch that goes with these characters and the revenue of ad placement between their image is kinda a big deal in the USA. We don’t value it enough in NZ or give it a decent enough chance perhaps. Yet the world could.
Here’s a picture I snapped in 2010 in West Hollywood where taiaha art is not only on TV it also features around the city of Hollywood too.
Evolving Maori Cinema in New Zealand’s film industry:
Some global economic developments are occurring in the world of film. New markets are opening up in China. Canada’s best movie maker and world box office record holder James Cameron recently said within five years China’s movie market could rival the Wests. Including Chinese actors in movie ideas is a key part of Cameron’s strategy to evolve his brand of films into China. Actors from China will be sequed into future Avatar sequels, Cameron’s box office gold at present.
In New Zealand our economic leaders have identified China as being a key trading partner of New Zealand in the future.
So the question today is: How can Maori action films find cohesion with Asian markets love of movies that tell mythological stories, just like Maori do in legends Maori have been telling for centuries in New Zealand in a similar way China has been telling their legends in China for many centuries more? (more…)
WETA WORKSHOP’S NIKURA NGAROPO – MAORI 3D FILMMAKER IS A COOL GUY
Generating his own buzz today is Nikura Ngaropo, the talented animator filmmaker who works on some of Hollywood’s biggest 3D films and box office busting movies. Visual effects is what Nikura does. Nikura lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital.
Humble, gracious, talented, funny, experienced.
Chur bro!
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 23.8.12~
3D MAORI FILMMAKER – MEET NIKURA NGAROPO, AVATAR 3D ANIMATOR
3D Maori filmmaker – MEET NIKURA NGAROPO, AVATAR 3D ANIMATOR. So talented!
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 5.7.12~
BOX OFFICE NEWS: BRAVE OPENS AT No.1, NORTH AMERICA
Good news for Pixar and Billy Connolly‘s heroine-in-the-highlands, animated film. Brave will open to around $70M this weekend and $25M for today.So it’ll be an easy #1 this weekend – incredibly, Pixar’s 13th straight first place finish.
More – with popcorn.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 23.6.12~
SCOTTISH HUMOR – NEW ZEALAND’S PETRA BAGUST’S INTERVIEW WITH BILLY CONNOLLY
The celebrity vibe in New Zealand at this moment in time, can best be summed up in an interview with Petra Bagust and Billy Connolly.
Scottish humor has long been appreciated in New Zealand and Australia. The hardy humored ones, are never forgotten here in NZ.
You can go to a country pub, have a pint and fish n’ chips in some parts of NZ, and you’ll see Billy’s mug, proudly positioned in the kitchen. The rogue Scotsman is a star here, we like.
Bagust’s strong profile for third world causes like World Vision also sums up the heart of the average Kiwi citizen. Why this interview blend, is a good one.
For a laugh, watch these two entertainers turn on a show.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 22.6.12~
CARLA MOORE IS A 48 HOURS FILM COMPETITION FINALIST – CHRISTCHURCH
“It is incredibly exciting to think that Elijah Wood will watch a film we made in the spare room with cardboard, skewers and a desk lamp,” said the filmmakers who managed to get their film through 800 entrants in the 48 hours film competition this year, to be judged by a panel of thirty judges, including Wood and quirky screenwriter Larry Karazewski.
The filmmaking team called Picton Pictures, included Press reporter Charlie Gates, Canterbury University arts student adviser Carla Moore and Press graphic designer John Cowie, with help at the finish line from Press videographer Daniel Tobin.
The filmmakers used shadow puppets. Their film is titled simply, An Inconvenient Hoof. Cute.
More at the flicker. Go Carla Moore & creative buds!
[Meanwhile, 10,000 St Albans residents had a power outage for an hour at 5.30 today as Picton Pictures hometown is restoring power stations to stronger capacity. If cities turned their lights out for an hour each week, imagine how much energy could be saved?!]
[Photo: Jonathan Leibson].
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 18.6.12~
BRAVE ANIMATION – PIXAR TRAVERSES THE GINGER ARCH
One for the kids: Pixar’s 13th film, Brave, follows an adventurous Scottish princess. The animated film is visually stunning and strongly voiced. Read More. Archery is the central character’s sport of choice.
I can see Asian markets loving this film.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 11.6.12~
TEEN HEALTH – BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
We have created a generation of shapeshifters.–social media and us.
If you’ve ever been a publicist in Hollywood, you may have got the chance to observe first hand what happens to people when the highest numbers of cameras are pitted on individuals walking on strips of red carpet. It’s surreal. You may also know that there’s zero room for error, when stars are being photographed underneath this unnatural spotlight.
Red carpet scrutiny is very invasive and stars who do it well as an ‘art form’ the USA made famous (and the world loves), are quite remarkable for being so brave as people who put their hand up to entertain. Leading into red carpet careers though, a lot of anxiety is caused until they land on their feet. It’s a nerve-wracking process for young stars getting started in Hollywood. Nerves need to be assuaged constantly.
These days, social media gives everyone the chance to be a star to some degree online. Why I love social media and new media, probably. However, in the USA, teenagers are beginning to develop anxiety in this culture that rewards narcissism. (more…)
85th ACADEMY AWARDS POTENTIAL NOMINEE CONTENDERS FOR OSCARS BUZZ 2013
[Image - Movie stills: Warner Bros & Disney Film's Pixar Animation]
[Image - Movie stills: Warner Bros & Disney Film's Pixar Animation]
The build up to Oscars 2013 has already begun. Some films getting earlier Oscars buzz feature the usual suspects, whose faces are signifiers of “Hollywood” or “Oscars” or “Awards shows”. Names like: Kathryn Bigelow, Viola Davis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Peter Jackson, Brad Pitt, Steven Spielberg, Christoph Waltz and Jessica Chastain. Looking ahead post March 2011, what can you expect at the movies that could quite possibly garner Oscars golden nods? Let’s take a look.
Cogan’s Trade: Writer-director Andrew Dominik works again with Brad Pitt casting the actor as his enforcer commissioned to clean up post a high-stakes poker game heist. Still going for his first Oscars win, (like Hollywood big hitter Tom Cruise), Brad also hedges his bets for Oscars 2013 with a second film project starring too in Marc Foster‘s thriller World War Z – a movie about (yawn) zombies. Aliens-Zombies. Zombies-aliens. It’s like – when TV does these themes… move it along already. All the best anyway with the ‘kids who can no longer sleep themes’ at the box office. Perhaps Dominik-Pitt’s cinematic combo will spin a new angle and take – on the aliens-zombies genre – other than ‘just fusing them.’
Pixar’s Brave is also a film generating buzz. Pixar’s Cars 2 movie didn’t do as well as hoped for Oscars nods but as Pixar is a serious contender in the animation nation movie machine – it’s probably time to give Pixar some love. Mirroring Jennifer Lawrence in Lionsgate studios’ The Hunger Games - Pixar’s animated child-friendly film features a Xena Warrior Princess styled archer-princess whose quest is to rid her empire of a bloody awful curse. Brave enlists the talents of Boardwalk Empire‘s Kelly McDonald (who stars in a show about the curse of addictive economies) – to bring this character to life.
The Surrogate is another movie that might be up for Oscars consideration. The movie’s premise about a man in an iron lung who dreams of losing his virginity is the plot line of this rather complicated tale. John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone) is set to direct. Physically challenged erotica? is the quirk to this tale, perhaps providing a fair metaphor of generations of internet communities, who are fast losing – “hi, how are you?” skills of human engagement- in real life – because intimacy has been cyphoned into a tablet’s face or telephone’s face instead. This film has big box office hit, written all over it, if the marketing is done right via social media.
Kathryn Bigelow‘s Kill Bin Laden movie (as yet untitled) picks up on the trend that saw Americans rejoicing in the streets of New York just after Will and Kate‘s global reality TV styled, London wedding, as news of Bin Laden’s death broke in America. Around the world, most people shivered and cringed at the images of Americans partying about bloodshed because out-of-context, Americans looked so barbaric in that moment.
It made American civilians look too blood thirsty (the images screened during daytime hours). The vibe of people outside of the US was like –ugh again?!.
However, the trend that exists (Google recorded bin Laden’s death as the no.1 news topic of 2011 in Google Zeitgeist trend mapping) quite evidentially in ’Bin Laden’s ghost’ – was super hot with Americans at least.
Bigelow is managing this trend and charged with picking up on it. In fact, it is a trend that is being parodied in the New Zelaand news today, with a feature story of ‘Bin Laden’s wives club strike back’ – the news angle stating that Bin Laden’s first wife was so jealous that he Ted Turnered her for a younger model wife, that she dobbed his where-abouts in to the Black Seals of the USA. The bin Laden theme is the gist of the tabloid fodder being printed on the wood pulp in NZ today. I guess we’ll have to wait for the tell-all books on that one from all of Bin Laden’s swagger of wives.
The movie Kathryn Bigelow is making will be her first foray back in the director’s chair since scooping up the historic win for best-director award with The Hurt Locker. If Meryl Streep can win 3, why can’t Katie B win 2? December 19 is the anticipated box office delivery. Bigelow weaves together a skilled cast including Kyle Chandler, Joel Edgerton, Chris Platt and Jessica Chastain. Most people will be watching this film at some point – so all power to Bigelow in the movie’s development. (more…)
SPIELBERG, KATZENBERG & GEFFEN TO BUILD ANIMATION STUDIO IN SHANGHAI
Cartoons and animation are universally loved. Dreamworks plan to build a Shanghai animation studio in partnership with Chinese State-Owned media companies. US box office is sluggish due to digital technologies effects on the industry. China’s movie box office is growing. Thus US movie sharks are making the move into China – building on Chinese co-owned land with Chinese. More at The Hollywood Reporter.
[Music - Pavements: Adele]
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 15.2.12~
MEET NIKURA NGAROPO, AVATAR 3D ANIMATOR
Nikura Ngaropo works with Weta Studios in Wellington. Nikura is a talented 3D animator. Read more about his work here.
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 2.2.12~
WELL SACRED 3 D COWS!!!
What you can learn to create at film school in New Zealand, is the quintessential 3D cow.
Brotha Nikura Ngaropo of Weta Productions has been able to make these himself for 9 years now, already. :)
Also don’t miss: Dancing 2D Cow, or, Turkey Hill’s TVC of real cows but on virtual 3D farm land as seen in the clip below.
Love it!
Today, you’re not a true New Zealand filmmaker with a healthy sense of humor, unless you can make one of these. If zealous, try a whole herd.
In watching these 3D clips, I can’t help but thinking they need a bit of Chikni Chameli music running litely underneath on the audio track – to make these cows a bit more relevant to wider global audiences. What do you think?!
Could this be Fonterra Dairy’s new Asia-Pacific marketing plan look?! Why not… Fun.
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asi
KATE CAPSHAW AND STEVEN SPIELBERG, GOLDEN GLOBES 2012
Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg walked the red carpet in Beverly Hills for the 69th Golden Globe Awards 2012.
Spielberg and Peter Jackson‘s magical 3-D performance-capture adaptation of the beloved European comic serial, The Adventures of Tintin film, scooped up the award in the animated film section, last night (Los Angeles Sunday).
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 17.1.12~
ART – WONKY DONKEY ANIMATION IS KIWI FUNNY, TO TEACH KIDS!
Animation art by Derek Thunder. Music by Craig Smith.
If you’re a country music fan. Watch this.
This has been created as an educational resource to teach kids in New Zealand. Love it!
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Aotearoa New Zealand Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 14.7.11~
KIKIPOUNAMU – MAORI WORD OF THE DAY – ANIMATED FEATURE FILM IDEA
Creative Thinking – An animated feature film kid’s idea – 2010′s animation entertainment:
According to The Reed Pocket Dictonary of Modern Maori (Maori-English, English Maori), edited by P.M.Ryan the word kikpounamu means katydid.
Nature teaches us, that the katydid is of the tettigoniidae family. In America, they are called katydids. In British English, they are the word for bush-crickets. Many tettigoniids exhibit mimicry and camouflage with shapes and colors, as they move across different colored leaves and foliage.
As a motif, a katydid is perhaps very fitting in the fast moving (global) multi-media age of Facebook and Twitter pics culture – created at lightning quick moments 24-7.
As I write this from a cricket mad nation (the sport) and a green thinking one too, I think the katydid or kikipounamu or bush-cricket could be successfully turned into an animated feature film idea. Hollywood box office history shows that such themes sell very well for the kids. Perhaps Weta Workshops might like to develop this concept further, or Disney or Dreamworks too.
There’s got to be a kikipounamu animated feature film idea in this word. Surely! :)
[Photographic artwork courtesy of Design Style - blue-winged grasshopper broach]
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific, 5.2. 2011~
CUTE – STARBUCKS SHOWS CORPORATE HEART FOR JAPAN – 3.16.11
Digital Coffee Culture Snap Shot, USA – Three views today from coffee corporate giant, Starbucks, online wired community reflect a bit of a Japan focus today. Nick Jr‘s appropriation of Japanese cartoon figures. Zagat doesn’t really direct us to Dallas (I rewired that link for amusement). And Adele of the UK gives over a free music track to download so the Brit songstress can have Starbucks marketing presence for music sales in every American neighborhood today via Starbucks.
Click on all three windows to see where they direct your focus.
:)
Oh… and let’s NOT forget, 1/4 of a cup of coffee or more per day, reduces stroke risk by 25% latest research results have shown via Sweden.
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 3.16.11~
DOC FLIX WATCH HUMOR -39 POUNDS OF LOVE VIA ISRAEL – ANIMATION
The big winners at the Berlin Film Festival ended up being documentary films. A trend that mirrors reality television stars perhaps here in the USA.
39 Pounds of Love features an Israeli with mega spirit. Watch by clicking in pic above.
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 2.17.11~
HUMOR – THE ASIAN SOCCER MOMS IN PEBBLES AND BAM BAM DRESSES ON MELROSE TODAY
… are very cute.
Lol! Only in West Hollywood would you get soccer mom Harayuku girls action, going down all vintage Flinstone‘s Hanna-Barbera-fierce-like while the kids are alright at school.
These ladies are having way too much fun mixing up their parenting-fashion styles in California. Why be serious? is their point. Lighten up. That’s why we have animation! Love their fun fashion statement today.
BTW: Bam-Bam Asian-American mom’s platinum blonde Marilyn-Posh Spice hair do is more real than Lady Gaga‘s. I kid you not!
[Photographed snapped 5 minutes ago and used with permission]
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 1.18.11~
WATER BABIES AS CELEBRITIES OF US ALL
1 bilion people in the world don’t have access to clean drinking water. Yet we are made up of 63% H2O as people. I think true celebrity is about whose moving water flows in the world. It’s as simple as something like that.
Nicole Richie is one of the brightest stars that does all year round. She’s our girl. Click on pic to learn more about what we can do through initiatives like Global Water.
To make clean water flow in dry places where it needs to be the most, let’s do it. Thanks. Love you all.
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 12.23.10~
“SIP IT ZWEETIE” – FUN NEW YEAR’S EVE TEE SHIRTS 2012-2013
“Sip it Zweetie”
–A new tee shirt for summer Christmas parties 2013.
~Image: The Net Shop. Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 21.12.12~
December 20, 2012 | Categories: Animation, Cartoons, Humor, Pop Cultural Commentary, Social Media, Tee Shirts, Twitter | Leave A Comment »