Heating Up Heavy Metal and Pencil Drawing

Memorial Day Weekend
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by yarntail

The summer heat is upon us, and it is Memorial Day weekend, for many of us.  It's a good time of years, as schools are letting out, vacations are being planned, and schedules are changing.

One thing this brings out is the barbecue, and later sundowns.  It's great, really.

Anyway, what have you all been up to?  Because, I've been doing quite a bit of drawing, myself.  I have nothing  ready to publish, just yet, but there's a few things I'm excited about on the horizon.

A couple things I am very excited about, are two lenses I wrote over at Squidoo.

Heavy Metal Cover Oct. 2003
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons License by Rene Walter

The truth is, a lot of people may come to realize, I took to drawing later in life.  It was something that was always sort of boiling in the back of my mind, but for some reason, I always had some other priority on my mind.  But do you know what always stuck out to me, a number of animated films.  And one of those was Heavy Metal, an 80's Cult Classic.

Heavy Metal is one of the all-time most amazing cult classic adult animated films.  It's loaded with drugs, sex and mind blowing rock-and-roll.  It's the kind of movie you either love or hate, but either way, you'll remember it.

Pencil Drawing

The other lens I wrote, had a lot to do with my Philosophies in pencil drawing.  As most people know, I took to drawing sometime in 2011, and in that time, I've progressed quite a bit.  I'm obviously no master, but I draw almost everyday, and I've learned a considerable amount, about Pencil Drawing As a Hobby, and I was eager to share what I've learned.

The article is a list of six things that I think many people probably stumble upon, when they are trying to learn to draw, or at least just follow along with a lesson.  It's the kind of thing that people who draw frequently are familiar with, but someone who's just picked up a pencil for the first time, may not know.

A couple other things, I still haven't watched Metal Hurlant Chronicles, although I am still very excited to see it.  It's now available on both Vudu and M-Go, which are services available to Roku customers, but I just haven't had the time to watch it.

I have, however, connected with two of the actors of the show on Twitter and Facebook.  They are M H Rahman and Marem Hassler.  I couldn't tell you which episodes they appear on, but I can't wait to find out.  However, what this does mean, is me and these two people are totally friends, and we could totally get together, like right now, and junk.  I'm serious!

Anyway, thanks for reading!

Remember Heavy Metal Magazine? It's Coming Back!!!

Heavy Metal Magazine

Heavy Metal Magazine
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Rene Walter

I've been a fan of animation and comics for years.  In fact, many years.  And I can tell you, one of my all-time favorite animated films was Heavy Metal, the movie.  I just loved it, the wild art, the risque material, the epic battles, and the episodic nature of each of the stories woven around the Lok-Nar.  I've watched it probably two-dozen times.  I own the DVD, and I could watch it almost every night of the week, if I had time.

So, anyway, the movie is based upon a comic magazine, called Heavy Metal, which was based upon a French version, called Metal Hurlant.  Well, I just learned that Heavy Metal magazine sold, to relaunch as bigger brand.  Click the link to read all about it.

To me, this is very exciting news.  Heavy Metal magazine redefined art, and what was acceptable, and what was exceptional.  It was more a movement than a magazine, spawning two movies in its time, and launching the careers of some if the greatest film makers, and graphic artists there are in recent years.

Metal Hurlant Chronicles

Metal Hurlant Magazine
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Alexis Ziritt

On top of the Heavy Metal news, has anyone every heard of Metal Hurlant Chronicles?  Well, it's a TV series on France, that was based upon the original French version of the magazine.  And it will soon be beginning its second season.

I can't even believe season one is over, because it still hasn't made its way to America, even though it was filmed in English, and has some big North American stars, like Michael Jai White, Joe Flanigan and Matt Mullins, also  including the likes of Rutger Hauer, Michelle Ryan and Kelly Brooke.

To read more about it, as well as see the trailer, check out the productions companies website, WE Productions.  Or, check out Metal Hurlant Chronicles on Facebook.

Game of Thrones

On top of all that, if you're a Game of Thrones fan, and why wouldn't you be, season four begins, on April 6, on HBO, and you can see the Game of Thrones Season 4 Trailer, here.  It looks like it's going to be another epic season.

Toonami

Space Dandy
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Danny Choo

Toonami's been busy as well, now three weeks into the latest season on Adult Swim.  The latest show, Space Dandy, has been absolutely amazing.  The colorful character, wild stories, precise animation and wonderful fan service, have been just about the best ever.  I can't wait each week to see the latest episode.  It really is entertaining, if you haven't already seen it.  To see some pics, check out Toonami on Tumblr or get into a discussion on Toonami's Reddit account.  Otherwise, check out the line up every Saturday night on adult swim between 11:30PM and 6:00AM.  I know it's late, but just DVR it, like me.  It's worth it.

Polypore, An Independent Film

I also wanted to give a heads up on an independent science fiction thriller, called Polypore that I just stumbled upon.  You can find out more about it on the Polypore homepage, as well as take a look at the trailer.  The home page and the trailer don't give away too much, other than that it's a science fiction thriller, with deep characters, with telepathy and teleportation, but it looks interesting none-the-less.  You can rent the entire film for $1.99.

Hey, Animated Films for Adults Do Exist

Anime Girl in Black
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by intruzo..99

I love cartoons, and especially most anime.  You see, I watched tons of cartoons as a kid, I was immersed in them--G.I Joe, Transformers, Exosquad, Starblazers, and so many others.  But somewhere along the line, I guess I started to think maybe there's an age limit for cartoons, so I stopped watching them. But, in the last few years, I've rekindled that love of cartoons, that I lost so long ago, and it's been wonderful.

The thing is, I think this is very common in adulthood.  We turn our backs on so many things we used to like, sometimes for the better, but in some cases, it's just because we have this preconceived idea that adults don't do that.  I think it's this way with cartoons, and I really wish I could call people out on it more often, because I believe if people would give it a chance, more adults would be watching 2-D animated cartoons.

Heavy Metal
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Rene Walter

Some of my favs now, are Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal 2000, Titan A.E., and a great many anime movies that I've discovered.  One of my favorite anime movies, is Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa, which I recently did a review of on Squidoo, called Fullmetal Bringing Back the Brothers.  Click the link to find out more about it.

There is another movie, however, that really brought back my love of animated movies.  It's a documentary that fleshes out all the ins-and-outs of the anime industry in Japan.  The movie is called, Anime: Drawing a Revolution.  It's a movie chock full of interviews and information about the burgeoning industry in Japan, and what it really means to be an anime movie.

Fullmetal Alchemist
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by mimimeow_

The thing is, all major nations have an entertainment mecca that developed over time due to different influences and needs.  It's kind of a cause and effect type relationship.  America has Hollywood, India has Bollywood, and Japan has anime.  The economy and culture of Japan doesn't lend itself well to big budget blockbusters that rely on big named stars or effects.  Most movies in Japan have a small budget, and require that the small number of big named directors work magic to eek out epic films with little but pennies on the dollar, or Yen.  This has lead to anime studios.

You might think, well anime is still just a cartoon, and technically you'd be right.  However, anime is actually a revolution in Japan.  It's swept the country, just the same way the big named actors in America take control every big movie season.  Anime movies are the movies of Japan, and with that, they aren't the typical silly child-like cartoons, such as Scooby Doo.  Many of them are dramatic pieces, that can create an emotional tie to the stories and characters.

Akira
Flicker Creative Commons Photo by ORAZ Studio

Some of the big ones are Akira, Summer Wars and Grave of the Fireflies.  Akira starts off with an atomic detonation that levels all of Tokyo, and brings on an apocalyptic setting, which for the Japanese is something many actually have feared, at one time or another.  Summer Wars is a movie that depicts a nation submerged in the internet, so much so, that when a virus cuts things off, the world plunges into complete chaos.  The only thing that keeps them all alive, is family and friends bonding together.  And Grave of the Flireflies is a movie of two children trying to survive in the ravaged country of Japan after World War II.  Their parents were killed in an air raid, and they have little to go on, but their wits.  It's a depressive story, but one that is all too real for those in Japan.

The difference here, is an emotional tie that isn't present in most animated movies.  However, in anime, this is an important factor, to find something true to hold on to, and press beyond the black lines and colors, to reach out and touch the audience.

Afro Samurai
Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Nuno de Azevedo

That's not to say that anime movies don't have their fun movies.  There's always Trigun, Redline and Afro Samurai, which are all amazing anime films that are more likely going to just entertain with violence and exhilarating action.  And that's not always a bad thing.  It all depends upon what you're in the mood for.

So, before you pass judgement on an animated feature-length film, please try and consider its background first.  If you know of any more films you think deserve consideration, I love to hear about them in the comments section.  Otherwise, I hope your holidays have been great!