SModimations 2-D - Season 2 Episodes

"Proteigon" by Steven Briand

A Brief History of Santa

Garfiled: His 9 Lives

The book was published in 1984 - it was the  illustrated short stories showing the "nine lives" of comic strip character Garfield the cat. It was adapted into an animated television special in 1988.

I was in the 5th grade when I got this book, and being at the height of my Collecting-All-Things-Garfield stage of my life, this book was mind-blowing. Various artists and writers contributing their works to create these nine short stories in this graphic novel format.

The book is divided into ten segments; the first one displays the creation of cats in general, where the latter nine reveal events in Garfield's nine lives. Each of the nine stories has a short preface of Garfield in his modern incarnation, explaining how these various lives shaped aspects of his personality, such as the origin of his fear of the veterinarian, his love of destructive behavior, his proclivity for a slothful lifestyle, and his playful side.

The one-hour long television adaptation was produced in 1988, and it featured four different "lives." Consequently leaving out four of the lives from the book: "The Vikings", "Babes and Bullets", the "Exterminators" and "Primal Self". "Babes and Bullets" was adapted into a television special of its own the following year: "Garfield's Babes and Bullets"(which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program of 1989).

Directed & Produced by	Phil Roman
Written by	Jim Davis (writer, creator), David Kuhn (segment "In the Garden"), Jim Clements (segment "Space Cat"), and George Herriman (uncredited)
Starring	Lorenzo Music Thom Huge, Gregg Berger, and Desirée Goyette
Music by	Ed Bogas and Desirée Goyette
Studio	Film Roman
Animation Direction by	Kevin Petrilak, Bob Scott, Bill Littlejohn, Doug Frankel, John Sparey, Bob Nesser, Ruth Kissane, and George Singer

"Bailey and the Snowman" by Kristofer Boban

from Animal

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Drive - Review

Truth be told, I’ve been growing pretty restless over new movies. It’s hard to get turned on by yet another prequel, sequel, reboot or remake (Straw Dogs, Total Recall, Pirates of the Caribbean 5, National Treasure 3, I-Robot 2  really? seriously?). It's all the endless supply of loud brassy unoriginal action made up of slicing and dicing old films and redoing them in 3-D.

Then came Drive, one of the coolest and most exciting movies that I’ve seen in a very long time. Drive’s strength lies in the fact that that it so different than any canned films made today. My friend described it perfectly as “new and true” because “They just don’t make movies like this right now!”...Lately, Hollywood seems void of new ideas, a recycling plant for known money-makers and empty celebrity driven features that will just break even.

Drive is a risk - a slow starter who’s second act comes like a swift punch in the gut, leaving you reeling and as confused as ever. The action and violence that’s alluded to in it’s trailer and posters that warn “There are no clean getaways” are only a preview of what’s to come. I should have known when the beat dropped for Kavinsky’s Nightcall that this was gonna be something different. But it’s better that I keep the details to a minimum and you’ll be thankful for my vagueness later.  

Drive is a perfect movie, mainly for the fact that when the movie does kick into gear it feels as if you’re watching a different film, which may turn off lots of people. But for me, it somehow works, thanks to its protagonist simply called Driver, played by Ryan Gosling. By the way, check Jim White's hot pink movie poster tribute he made, so awesome.

This film is captivating on several levels, I couldn't keep my eyes off of it, it's unpredictable, it doesn't hold back, and it's just plain COOL. It's rounded out by beautiful cinematography, a fantastic score, bold costume choices and strong performances by Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, and Carey Mulligan.

Not to mention the pace of this film is a beautiful thing to behold. This is no antic-frantic affair; instead, it's a cerebral game of stop-and-go, hide-and-seek, as the director behind the camera handles things exactly like the guy behind the wheel - with a stylish mixture of cold calculation and cool aplomb. There's not a single hand-held camera shot in the whole movie. It's a film that has its finger on the pulse of what's current and in style, and one that has solidified its place as the coolest film of 2011.

R.I.P. Kim Jong Il