Despite numerous visits to the French capital over the
years, there is one place I have never really wished to visit – the famous
catacombs of Paris - even though it's in the dead centre of town. It’s not so much an
aversion to deathly things, but, OK, definitely an aversion to the quantity on
display. So, fortunately, this TED
lesson comes along, enabling me to take a quick tour of the Paris catacombs and
discover, thanks to some animated grisliness, how the people of Paris took
action in the 18th century. I
wonder if they realised that what they were creating would become a tourist
attraction a few hundred years down the line.
It could all have been avoided, of course, had the good
people of the 9th century not thought it a great idea to bury their
dead in the grounds of Les Innocents – and then carry on doing it for 800
years.A little bit of town planning may
not have gone amiss!Just as well there
was an abandoned network of quarries underneath the city, which themselves were causing the city a problem or two.The solution must have been obvious!
The lesson is by Stephanie H. Smith, directed by Laura
Jayne Hodkin and narrated by Adrian Dannatt. Watch it below.
I’ve been waiting for this to be unleashed… and here it is. The 2026 winner of the Best Animation
at the National Student Emmys is Love & Gold, written and directed by Connor
VanDyke and produced by Jaysen Duckworth.
Representing BYU, it’s the university’s fifth consecutive win in this
category and has now been released in full on YouTube. Watching it in full for the first time today,
this animated short certainly does have winner written all over it –
from start to finish.
Before I take a look at the film, I would like to add a note
of praise and thanks to the host of talent BYU pulled together to create this
film. This was the university’s Center for Animation’s short film project for
2025 and from the credits, it looked like the whole department worked “in the
trenches” for this short. What better
way to learn one’s craft than to be involved in a project of this size and ambition? Little wonder that BYU’s graduates almost
inevitably turn up in the credits for major animation projects. So, hat’s off to this splendid team – too many
to mention here, but thank you.
The plot is quite straightforward – the audience rocks up at
the end of two separate quests for the same thing: the treasure left behind by a
king and queen hundreds, perhaps thousands of years before. So, tension is immediately created because
the young explorer/adventurers (OK, thieves) have no intention of sharing the
booty (they are both seeking a huge gem).
Yet they soon discover that the old king and queen had no intention of
allowing someone with purely selfish motives to claim their treasure and that
teamwork will be necessary if they are to survive their ordeals inside the
castle.
You might be thinking “so far so tropey” and you would be
right. I don’t often spot in-movie
references to other movies, but I think writer VanDyke may have watched the Indiana
Jones series on repeat when he was a kid! Yet, take into consideration that
people have been recycling basic plot patterns for thousands of years, picking
over the skeletons of old stories and revivifying them for contemporary times
and audiences. Of course stories – truly
successful stories – are more than simply plots.
Much more important is who it happens to and how it’s told,
as well as what the audience now understands that older audiences didn’t (and
there are a few gleefully placed anachronisms in this dungeons and
drangons-esque setting). The
references to the undying love of the previous king and queen, and how it
impacts on the dual quest presented in this story are subtly and quickly disclosed
to the audience. The nature of the
characters, likewise, are revealed through the narrative, which bops along at
quite a speed (but not too fast to confuse the audience – it’s all there for
us). The writing is deft and tight, the
structure almost perfect. So, certainly, all the right boxes are ticked for how
it’s told.
So, on to who it happens to. Although the characters
are not named during the film, I discovered in the credits that they are Rayden
and Robin (voiced by Parley Lambert and Darci Ramirez – not that they say an
awful lot!). So, that’s how I will refer
to them from now on. The characters are particularly
well-formed, something vital in such a short film. Rayden seems like the kind of young man who
has, perhaps, walked somewhat effortlessly through life, a sort of cross
between Phoebus in Hunchback and Kristoff in Frozen. Yet there’s no swagger – he’s quite a sweetheart
which makes him immensely likable.
Robin is more difficult to pin down. She is the most complex but least trusting of
the pair – and at the same time the least trustworthy too – her selfish acts put
the couple into danger more than once. Perhaps she has been betrayed in the past? Yet like every good character arc, hers
is offered the chance of redemption. I won’t reveal any spoilers, here – it’s
up to you to watch the film and find out for yourself whether she gives in to
avarice or not. Hang around for the end
credits sequence, too – it reveals what might be in store for Rayden and
Robin in the future.
Once again, thank you students (and staff) of BYU for bringing
Love & Gold to the world. Some of
the commenters on YouTube have said, this would make a great feature-length
movie. It’s pretty much perfect as it is
– so, maybe, a sequel? Please?
Have you ever given up on an assignment simply out of fear
of getting a low grade? As an educator (in my real-world job), I see this all
the time – in fact often it’s worse. Assignments are one thing – but whole
qualifications? I have seen some of my students give up revising for resit
exams because they are so afraid of putting in the work and still not passing
that they would rather not try at all - and fail again. (it seems to be, emotionally,
the outcome with the least risk). I'll Start Tomorrow could have been written and produced by any number of my own students!
What makes it all the more tragic is that most of the
students I see exhibiting this kind of behavior are perfectly capable of
passing the qualification I teach (which is exam only with no coursework).However, they choose to fail it – and although
I have been able to get through to them beforehand, some still slip through the
metaphorical net.
There must be some
serious psychology behind this – and perhaps the video above should give me
some insight into this – even though it depicts a student “doing” an assignment,
rather than preparing for an exam.From
the comments below the video on YouTube, it certainly looks like a similar train
of thought.First, there is time – so much
time before the assignment is due that procrastination invariably takes hold.
One commenter admitted that “this animation was like so
beautifully relatable it hurt” and another said “literally my whole entire life
described without using words right here.”I could go on – there are so many different permutations and
combinations of the same thoughts and feelings that it would be an act of
procrastination in itself to carry on reading them or, indeed, adding more
here.
I wonder what advice I would give to this student. It would
have to be different from that which I give in classes when students focus more
on their conversations than the work they are supposed to be doing.That is always “work now, chat later” and
that often works in a classroom situation because they know that if they do the
work I am far more relaxed about them having a chat with each other once it is
done.This is different.I guess I could also say try to study a
subject that you are interested in enough to look forward to doing the
assignments – but my own experience at university (where I studied English
Literature) didn’t really reflect that either – I love literature, discussing
it, reading it, embracing it – but it was very different when it came to
writing about it critically.
I suppose this is something I can think about another day
(see what I did there?).I have to say
this animation does seem to have hit a huge nerve with the viewers.Technically, it is pretty flawless – I love
the design of both the protagonist and the backgrounds.The story is cleverly told, with a number of
flash-forwards about the consequences of procrastination (and the end of the world
would probably put a stop to it, that’s for sure). Some of the visual metaphors are, surely, taken from real dreams. Yet what it captures very
well is the state of panicus pensi (fear of the assignment and
yes, I just made that up) which goes with the whole student malarkey and a
condition that usually goes hand in hand with rigor pavoris (stiffness
of fear). Yup, made that up too.
This very clever, very entertaining and very true animated
short was directed by Skye Wei. It was produced by Shi Hao and Ling Chen with additional
animation by Dou Yang and Xixi Hu.Originally created for Bilibili’s (basically China’s version of YouTube
crossed with Twitch and anime fandom culture) 2026 Bainianji, a special
produced annually by the platform to celebrate Chinese New Year. This is the
English language version and hats off to Skye for releasing this fantastic work
for those of us who don’t speak Mandarin.
So, is the student in this animation able to overcome their
procrastination and commit to work without deviation until submission? You will have to watch it and find out – but if
you are a student reading this, you may find the ending a little bittersweet to
say the least!
One questionwhich always
bothered me as a kid who was interested in archaeology was why was it that
ancient ruins were always found underground? Was the world getting bigger, in
some way, that these ruins were being buried by the ever increasing size of the
Earth? While you can probably get my youthful logic, this isn’t the case.One of the main reasons is that cities are
simply built on top of each other, with each successive wave of construction
simply building on top of the rubble underneath (for the sake of expedience –
clearing is hugely expensive and time-consuming).So, if a building was rebuilt, it meant that
it would be higher than the surrounding streets.The obvious solution there was to raise the
streets too.That means that in some
places, buildings are 18 meters higher than they were in the 1st
Century AD.
When it comes to archaeology, building one layer on top of another
isn’t the only reason why so much archaeology lies underground. The cities of
Shanghai and Seattle, for example, are gently sinking into the ground because
of the weight of the buildings on top, not to mention the extraction of
drinking water from below.
Still a little discombobulated by it all? Then watch this
video from Primal Space, which explains it very clearly and with great
computer-generated animations to match.
But this still leaves another puzzle: what about places like
Roman villas, farmsteads or temples that weren’t built over by later
generations, but simply abandoned? Why are they buried too? The answer is that
ruins often begin by burying themselves. Roofs collapse, walls tumble, plaster
crumbles and timber rots away, creating a mound of debris. Over the centuries,
wind-blown dust, flood silt, leaf mould and soil gradually build up around and
over the remains, while roots, weather and farming slowly break them down
further. In other words, even when nobody builds on top of them, time and
nature usually do the job anyway.
There comes a time in a young pig’s life when human eyes notice
his increasing dimensions and decide enough is enough – this porker is ready
for the pot. So it is with the young pig featured in Amen, a graduate thesis
film by students at École des Nouvelles Images.Although he almost gets the chop, his ingenuity – not to mention a
somewhat revelatory experience in the monastery’s church – will save him and
his friends from sizzling.Or will it?
You had better watch the animated short below to find out!
I have no idea if this film was inspired by pig escapes, such as the famous Tamworth Two, but as our porcine pals have a habit of getting away from their human overlords, this could have been inspired by any number of tales of daring escape in the real world.
Amen has enjoyed an impressive festival run, picking up
awards at the Tirana International Film Festival 2025 in Albania, VIEW
Conference 2025 in Italy, the Internationales Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart in
Germany, Cyber Sousa – Xiamen International Animation Festival in China, The
Great Canadian Horror Film Festival, Curtas Vila do Conde – Festival
Internacional de Cinema in Portugal, and La Guarimba Film Festival in Italy,
among many others. The film was directed by Orphée Coutier, Bettina Demarty, Kimie
Maingonnat, Laurène Perego, Louise Poulain, and Avril Zundel, with an original
score by Nicolas Cornil (MAAAV). Production was overseen by Julien Deparis for École
des Nouvelles Images, with sound mixing by Pierre-François Renouf.
Tucked away in London’s Trinity Church Square stands a tall statue. Larger than life, it stands 8.5
feet high (2.6 metres), depicting a wise old king. Who that king is, no one is
completely sure but it is widely believed to be a representation of King Alfred
the Great, who ruled in the 9th century. The statue was once thought
to have been made at some point in the 1300s as it reflects the statuary style
then prevalent. Simply put, no one ever knew its true provenance although
debate raged off and on (no doubt in a very polite British way). Image
What is known with certainty is that it has been in the
square since 1831 – getting on for two hundred years. Rather annoyingly and
contrary to the often meticulous record-keeping habits of Victorian Londoners,
the name of who gifted it to the square is not recorded. So, for all that time, no
one knew much about it at all or could offer anything more than educated
guesswork. But the statue held a secret or two.
Sometimes, you can put off being a parent for a while. That while can sometimes become a
little too long and you might find yourself without the prerequisite other
half with whom to share the moment.
When this happens, there are options – and Riki Lindhorne’s new song Bio
Dad, shows a woman asking a male friend to make a little donation in order to fulfil
her desire to be a mother. This is funny -
but also heartfelt – and not only makes a great comedy-drama sketch, it
feels more like a song from a musical than anything else – I would like to see
the whole thing (as it were!).
However, the video does go through the whole story we need
to see – including the compulsory visit to the clinic where the unfortunate
donor has to perform.One of the
commenters on YouTube said about this part: “as a man who's used those plastic
cups in IVF clinics, let me say that section of the song (thin doors, weird
reactions from the woman at the desk, etc.) was SPOT ON”.Another commenter added: “As always a welcome
and unexpected pleasure”, which I have to say is pretty much how I feel about
this song.
Of course, one of the (many) things that Riki Lindhome is
known for is playing Dr. Valerie Kinbott on the Addams Family Netflix show
Wednesday.So, of course it is only
natural that she should as a good-looking member of a show she has appeared in
to feature as the potential bio-dad.Step forward Hunter Doohan, who played opposite her in Wednesday as Tyler
Galpin, the sheriff’s son who turns out to be a Hyde. One commenter said: “I know your song is what
every woman thinks about when she sees Hunter Doohan, but I cant prove it...“.Regardless, if Tyler Galpin and Dr. Valerie
Kinbott ever had a baby, it would probably come out already in therapy and
somehow covered in suspicious claw marks – but they are playing different
characters here so let’s just scrub that and watch the video.
Sometimes, children discover things about their parents that
perhaps they shouldn’t have. As Oscar Wilde once said: 'Children begin by
loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes
they forgive them.' In Sophie’s
case, that might be quite unlikely as she has developed the unfortunate tendency
of coming across her parents at some fairly unforgivable moments .
Of course, the best thing to do is to sit Sophie down and to
explain what has happened in terms that a child can understand and – of course –
outline what happens next, underlining at many moments through the conversation
just how much they love her.And that’s
exactly what these parents do.Katherine
Tate and Alex Macqueen shine here as the parents, full or remorse and guilt for
what their daughter has been through – and Skye Lucia Degruttola is
excellent as their daughter - it must have been hard for her to keep a straight face watching these two pillars of British comedy go through their motions.This may have
to be filed under “peculiarly British comedy” as I am unsure whether other
cultures may fully “get” this or even whey we might find it amusing.Not Sophie's Choice gave me a chuckle, though – and I think
that’s what it sets out to do. Job done.
I don’t need to be told that I’m getting on – my friends,
family, colleagues and the mirror will all tell me (to varying degrees of truthfulness). However, there’s nothing quite like a
computer programme to really stick the dagger when it comes to brutal honesty. So it is with Another Day, which asks you to
enter your age so you can discover which historical events, going backwards
historically from your birthday, are now closer to it chronologically than
today.
As you can see from the above, my grey hairs are definitely
more than implied when I am told that the sinking of the Titanic is now closer
to my birth date than the day today! If there is any real evidence that lying
about your age is a good idea (if you want to escape the gasps that sharing
this site will provoke when you type in your birth date), then this is it.
Here's another based on my birthday...
There’s more.You can
share this on social media, so not only can you share a plum fact about your
own age, you can freely ridicule your aging (or already aged) friends by doing
the same thing for them and gleefully pointing out the cold hard fact Another
Day will come up with.
So, were my mother (who has yet to slip of her mortal coil despite in her own words feeling positively ancient) on social media, I could definitely annoy
her by posting this…
Of course we’re huge fans of Key & Peel’s famous
Substitute Teacher sketch - and their follow ups. But a remake
in Lego? We didn’t quite see that one coming. Mr Garvey has long been a hero in
educational circles and it is good to see him recreated in one of the most intuitively
instructive toys ever designed. Of
course, we have the rest of the cast too - Dee-Nice, Jakequaline, Balakey, Ay-Ay-
Ron are all in the classroom, as is Tim-o-thee. I have to say that NL Films have really done
a great job on both the set and the characters – it is almost like watching the
original sketch again. Except it’s in Lego.
As a (lazy) aside, I wonder if the young actors who make up
Mr Garvey’s unwilling students saw any major impact on their careers after
appearing in this sketch. Did it help or hinder their professional progress? Do
they see it now as a great opportunity that led to type-casting in the extreme
or a great opportunity that led to even greater opportunities. I put lazy in
brackets because, of course, I could do some research and find out, but I’ve
always resisted those “Cast of Substitute Teacher – Where are they now?” kind
of features at Kuriositas.
In the beautiful foothills of the Velliangiri Mountains in
the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, an immense head and shoulders seems to burst
from the ground, dominating the surrounding landscape. This jaw-dropping spectacle – a male, eyes
closed in contemplation, with lustrously dark features, full lips and flowing
locks of hair epitomising an ideal of both male beauty and masculine
voluptuousness - is Shiva, the Adiyogi (the First Yogi). Little wonder that
people flock from all over India and beyond to see this sculpture, listed in
the Guinness World Records as the largest bust sculpture on the planet. Image
The sculpture looks like it is made from black granite, but it
was built using thousands of kilograms of steel plates and pipes. In fact, it weighs in at approximately 500
tonnes.In order to give the bust its
rich, deep appearance it is coated with dark matte finish paint – a job which
one can only imagine as never ending to maintain the exquisite exterior.
There are some things that you just have to sit back and
watch – and this is one of them. The
immediate question I have watching Rotterdam: Shifting Shapes of the Future, a
hyperlapse of the Dutch city by award-winning filmmaker Kirill Neiezhmakov is how
does he do this? The answer to this
question is most likely I don’t care as he long as he keeps doing these amazing
videos.
As you will see from the video, the AI morphing transitions
really make this stand out from other time-lapses or hyperlapses.Neiezhmakov describes Rotterdam as “the
perfect playground for this” and the transitions are seamless and quite
astonishing.Plus he confides that the
secret to a great hyperlapse is “pure manual precision”, so perhaps we have
finally found something that combines AI and human creativity to hugely
impressive effect.Take a look at the
video below and see if you agree.
If you are familiar with the story of Thumbelina, then I
suspect you will enjoy Tulip, as it is an adaptation of the Hans Christian
Andersen tale, cherished by generations of children and adults alike. There are some differences in the telling,
here – so, for example, we don’t have Thumbelina traveling to a distant land in
order to meet her prince of flowers, but the fan favorites are there in the
shape of the lonely woman who first discovers her and the various animals she
encounters, such as the mole, the mouse and – of course – the swallow.
After Tulip is discovered by the lonely old woman, she grows and becomes restless, confined to the woman's cottage (the old lady is scared that the outside world is too dangerous for the tiny Tulip). Of course, Tulip takes matters into her own hands...
Purists may balk a little, but I think this is a wonderful
retelling, created by Andrea Love and Phoebe Wahl (production, direction, writing, animation - the lot). The stop-motion work is
simply wonderful but I think the one
thing that stands out most to be about this short is its use of colors. Vibrant would be an understatement, and the detail is painstaking. The stop-motion
is seamless – the water in the pond and Tulip’s tears were particularly
impressive, given how difficult water is to animate properly using stop-motion
techniques.
The characters, too, are beautifully made.All of them are lovely, but I particularly
like the bossy mouse in her sky-blue Victoriana. I was entranced by this from
start to finish.All the voice actors are
excellent, but a special mention must be given to Christopher Flockton who
tells the story in a charmingly mellifluous manner. Watch the film below.
Well, isn’t this just fabulous? Raye’s Click Clack Symphony,
taken from her upcoming album This Music May Contain Hope is quite the
number. It’s an ode (well, a symphony)
to those around us who make life better.
In this case it’s Raye’s buddies, who, when they hear her call, march
around to her house and get her out of it (the home and her downer).
I love the metaphor of the click click click clack symphony echoing the
sound of their heels as they come to her rescue! They are definitely going to heel her (OK, very bad
joke).
The video to accompany the song is hugely imaginative; the
animated RKO-style intro (well, you know me and animation) gives us the odds of being
born on this planet at 1 in 400 trillion (no idea where Raye got this statistic,
but quite happy to go with it).It then
quickly jumps to Raye’s house where she is awaiting the arrival of her friends
(and when you don’t have enough wine in the fridge to get yourself going, you
need a few mates), then to their escape into the street and beyond.The video accompanies Raye’s (really clever)
lyrics perfectly – it’s something of a tour de force, frankly.
The message is certainly unambiguous – you should never
settle for depression on a Friday night!
Life is (as always) too short, so get your friends and click click click
clack a symphony of your own – not only on a Friday but any day of the week.
Like Raye, you could “believe for the first time that she would again feel the
sun”. As layered as this song may be (and it has many but the monologue at the end takes it to another level), I think the message
is that bad times must always come to an end, but patience and faith “in the
seeds that are planted beneath the snow” are also vital in getting you through and
back into that sunshine. What a fabulous
song.
Best British singer-songwriter since Kate Bush? I reckon so.
Recently, Timothy Chalomet made some remarks about opera and
ballet which I am sure he probably now regrets, considering the furore they
created.Although we feature dance quite
a lot on Kuriositas, it has been a while since we featured either opera or
ballet.That’s a little remiss, so here
is a very cool video of 13 of the very best male ballet dancers – and the list
is contemporary rather than historic (just to show the art form is still well
and truly alive). The video was created by Ballet Posted.
I think, for me, the standouts are Kangwon Lee, who dances
with such a joie de vivre it is almost impossible not to smile with him.Then there is Antonio Caslhino whose moves are
something to behold. I suppose my favorite, though, has to be Takumi Miyake –
just a sublime dance if ever there was one.Which will be your choice? Watch the video below and decide!
In Japan, you will hear Itadakimasu (いただきます)
a lot. Connecting to Buddhist ideas of
gratitude and life, the phrase is spoken before eating a meal. It’s meaning
translated into English is approximate – you could say it roughly means “I humbly
receive (this food)”. The verb itadaku (いただく) means
“to humbly receive” and the “masu” part of the phrase is a polite ending which
is added to verbs. Yet, like many Japanese phrases, it has a much deeper
meaning, one which speaks volumes about the nature of Japanese culture. The key is probably in the word “receive”
which is used rather than “eat”. It says
a lot.
The phrase is central to this charming short film, which pivots around food but is essentially about the love between a mother and her son.Itadakimasu tells the story of Ryota (Ren
Okada), who has left his countryside home to live and work in the big city.
Although not exactly estranged from his mother
(Mika Murakami), his attitude to her has become distant and somewhat terse,
especially since the premature death of his father.Ryota is struggling at work and his inability
to emotionally communicate with his mother means that when she pays him a
surprise visit, the reception she gets is cold and Ryota quickly makes his
excuses to leave for the day.
How is this resolved? Well, I urge you to watch this
precious short film for yourself – but reconciliation is on the cards (I want
you to know that this does not have a sad ending, even though it isn't sugary sweet). The film’s
characters are drawn by a series of subtle flashbacks to scenes from their lives –
we see little Ryota grow as the film develops.
One pivotal scene gives those of us who do not come from Japan more
insight into the emotional resonance of the phrase Itadakimasu.
It is so much more than just a few words of thanks – it gives gratitude and
respect for nature, the animals and the plants whose lives became the food as
well as the farmers and workers who produced the ingredients. Last but certainly not least, it expresses
thanks to the person who prepared the food – and in this case it is almost
always mum. Whether it is hot from the
stove or cold in the fridge while she works in a factory to make ends meet,
food always makes its way from mum’s hands to Ryota’s stomach.
Even when he is being a sulky teenager and resorts to Pot
Noodle in his bedroom, we see Ryota put his hands together, bow his head a
little and utter Itadakimasu before he begins to eat.It’s a phrase you will hear all over Japan –
at home, school, restaurants (or like me on TV shows and anime).It’s a cultural connector and the big
question this film painstakingly asks (my only criticism is perhaps a few minutes
could have been shaved off its running time) is whether shared and collective
memory, bound by words and food, can help to restore a relationship.
The film is elegantly written, and poignantly directed, shot
and edited by Fumiya Nakagawa. Much of
his work focuses on his home region of Kumamoto, using film to promote local
culture and communities - and Itadakimasu shows Kumamoto off really beautifully. This short film
was produced by Yamachiku Co Ltd with music by Yukiko Kamata. The producer is – well I never – an intergenerational chopstick manufacturer
well known in Japan. I have only realised
this when writing this short review – it must be about the most subtle product
placement I have ever come across! Yet
far more subtle are the performances by Ren Okada (best known as a style influencer) and Mika Murakami, especially
the latter whose adoring looks at her truculent son are simply heartbreaking.
I think one of the commenters on YouTube sums the film up
perfectly: “Had me in tears at the end. Sometimes children lose sight of how
much love and support their parents have given them over the years, and they
need some type of experience to make them see how fortunate they are. This
short film expressed this theme so well. The music was perfect also.”Indeed.This film is really something very special.
Watch the full film below.
As a footnote, once a meal is finished, Japanese people
usually say “gochisōsama deshita” (ごちそうさまでした), which means something like
“thank you for the meal”. So we have a
few more Japanese phrases to add to our collection. Also, a big thank you to Fumiya Nakagawa and team for this particular, very satisfying meal.
If you are interested in more Japanese phrases, you might be
interested in our short articles about:
It only happens once in a lifetime – a new artist arrives on
the scene and suddenly, music is never the same again. All Fall Down – the debut single by The Vampire
Lestat is such a perfect piece of rock, that it seems written by a singer
songwriter with many, many years of musical experience behind him. Instead this new artist – real name unknown –
arrives with a great alter-ego (reminiscent in some ways of the way Bowie would
take on different personas throughout his career) in vampiric form. The song itself is hypnotic, mesmerizing – almost
as if it is calling out to something. It’s
enough to wake up the souls of the dear-departed rock and roll greats, who
would no doubt welcome a new member of their pantheon.
We will just have to live in anticipation of what the Vampire Lestat’s live shows will
be like, the first of which is planned later on in the year on June 7. Until then, we must
make do with this taster of things to come.I am sure seeing him live will bring together so many fans of great
music, all of whom have heard this message and will travel for many, many miles to hear his voice.
If, like me, you spent your childhood coveting a Thunderbirds
Tracy Island playset, then you are probably aware that the minds behind the
globally adored TV show for kids (and discerning adults) were not averse to turning
the popularity of the characters and settings intro products. The main idea was
to drive kids like me into a consumer frenzy (especially around Christmas) and
it worked.
What I had forgotten, though, until I watched the video
below, is that Thunderbirds were also used to advertise things which weren’t
wholly connected to the show.So, here
from the Gerry Anderson channel is a selection of the adverts that you might
remember from your childhood.Although
most are aimed at kids – like the Tracy Island playset or the iced lollies, some
take full of the intergenerational appeal of the show. So, with tongue firmly
in cheek, there are car insurance adverts, not to mention Exchange & Mart if
you happened to be looking for a new, used car. Thyere are also riffs on familiar advertising tropes, such as the one for a popular chocolate biscuit brand.
What hits home more than anything is the pretty rampant
sexism going on in the ads. Girls are targeted with the first ice lolly made
specially for girls (named FAB) because who knew their taste buds were
different.Then there is Lady Penelope
taking her pink Rolls Royce out for a spin on Parker’s day off – and needing a
little rescue from her insurance company at the end of the day. It’s unlikely
these particular adverts (and some of the products) would be made these days
unless intended to provoke some kind of furore, but they do shine a certain
spotlight onto how things have changed over the years.
Brains doing a breakdance to flog mineral water is now seared onto my brain.
You know that time at work on a Friday, just a few minutes
before it hits five? Oh, the anticipation
of the weekend, together – of course – with a little downtime in the office. It’s that magic time when you can relax and
take in a few minutes of that ten hour goats screaming like humans video
that you have been meaning to watch all week.
Such is the case with the two office workers featured in Amped, which
was written and directed by Vincent Salvano.
What sometimes happens on a Friday at close to five is that
a load of new work seems to miraculously make it to your desk.And so our two workers must stay behind and
work into the night – except that proves difficult.However, they both discover a mysterious
drink – one which will not only give them the power to stay awake but to enable
them to work at speeds they could previously only imagine. If you think that is
a cue for things to go wrong, you’re right.
Amped was produced with the support of Pixar Animation Studios
Co-op Film Program, and brought to life by a small independent team of artist, including
Head of Story Matthias De Clercq, Editor Alia Rezk, Director of Photography Andrew
Jimenez and music by - Aaron Daniel Jacob.Produced by Logan Hester, Amped is a fantastic animated short,
reminiscent in some ways of the old Tom and Jerry style, with outrageous actions
and reactions in abundance. Also, don't you think there is something a little Flintstoney about the characters? I can't quite put my finger on what!It also has
something very special – it has great character development and story momentum,
quite something to pull of in such a short piece of work.
Oh and watch the end credits - another story in itself!
Back in the year 951, a French bishop was celebrating his
return from a major pilgrimage. It had taken Bishop Godescalc many weeks to go
from his home of Le Puy-en-Velay in France to Santiago de Compostela, almost
500 miles away in Spain and on his return he decided to celebrate. On the route
his pilgrimage took, he had visited many shrines and chapels and so he decided
to build one himself so that future pilgrims could use it as their own starting
point. As Le Puy had a remarkable
geological feature – a volcanic plug 279 feet (85 metres) high, that must
have seemed like a very good place indeed to build a chapel. Image Credit
In fact, Godescalc wasn’t quite the first person to come up
with that idea. The Dean of the local
cathedral, Truannas, had previously requested that a chapel be built atop the
volcanic plug. Local chronicles show
that at this time the town was being ravaged by plague, and the dean had vowed
to Saint Michael the Archangel that he would build a chapel there if the plague
ceased. It did and so, the vow was
fulfilled. Whether Bishop Godescalc’s
pilgrimage was also an attempt to alleviate the plague through prayer and
penance on his journey has been lost to history, but it is these two men who we
must thank for the chapel’s existence.
People often say they don’t make them like that anymore
when it comes to movies – and here is a great example of that. Go back 93 years (we might as well call it a
century) and Footlight Parade was released.
Although the plot isn’t anything to write home about (struggling
producer played by James Cagney at odds with the world) it featured a pretty
amazing Busby Berkely synchronized swimming dance sequence.
Take a host of swimmer-dancers, throw them into the water and tell
them to create a human waterfall. Well, hardly that simple.Looking at this footage, it must have taken
weeks if not months of preparation just to get three minutes on film.This was made just before the Motion Picture
Production Code came into force in 1934 (in a time generally known as “pre-code”).Although the code had been written in 1930 it
was largely ignored for a few years until the point at which films could not be
released before they had been given a certificate showing they had met the code’s
standards.
As such, the very scantily clad young ladies that you can
see here, as well as the camera angles at which they are sometimes filmed,
could still be seen today as slightly risqué. It is scarcely believable that this is almost
a hundred years old – as it is almost technically perfect. Plus it is
overflowing with a joie de vivre that we simply don’t see much in the moving
image these days – and certainly not for minutes at a time.It may well have fallen foul of the code had
it been released a year later, but I think that even though it is a little
naughty, it has an innocence to it that is quite charming. Although stunning on
the small screen, just imagine how this must have looked in a theater – it must
have blown people completely away. On a slight downside, I wonder how many of these girls had their dreams squashed by Hollywood. I am sure that many of them must have thought that this was their big break. Whatever, their fates, I am sure they were pleased with the end product, although I suspect the creation of this amazing number must have meant a lot of hanging around in heavy, wet costumes.
If you would like to learn more about how everyday folks
lived in these times, take a look at our People of 1925 feature article.
If there are times in our lives that we remember (or think we do) from when
we are very young, I expect a visit to the dentist is towards the top of the list for most of us.This charming film does just that – but through
the eyes of a puppy.Created by VeryTrue Story, this is a charming animated short (and it is short!).
Extracted is a visually striking short film written
and directed by Adam Glickfield, who also serves as executive producer
alongside Kristin Almy. The film’s distinctive visual style is shaped by
illustrator Renaud Lavency, with animation by Latham Arnott, Arley Cornell,
Alex Deaton, Josh Parker, Grant Perdew, Paul Slemmer and Dennis Wardzala.
Completing the immersive experience, Jeff Moberg provides the music score,
sound design and final mix, bringing depth and atmosphere to this inventive
production.
Here is a set of 3 A3 posters that you can download for
free. They are designed to inform students about typical features of creative
(or narrative) writing, specifically for GCSE English.Having said that, they can be used for any
exam board, or even if you are not teaching GCSE English.I hope that they brighten up your classroom
and your students enjoy them.
The posters reflect new information that the AQA exam board
will be putting in the mark scheme for Paper 1 Question 5, starting with the
June 2026 exam series.Although these
are typical features, they shouldn’t be used as a checklist (although that’s
not a particularly bad idea!).Rather
they are intended to visually guide your students towards improving their
creative writing by giving them some instructions which are easy to take in and
remember.
Above is an example of one of the posters.Please don’t use this, though – follow thislink and you will be able to download the original PowerPoint slides – the software
I used to create the posters.The posters
include tips about twelve typical features of creative writing – perspective,
characters, vocabulary, setting, ideas, sequence, shifts, structure, pace,
mood, style and sentences. Phew!
It’s so great to share the new song by Suzi Quatro with you. Yes, you read that correctly. She may have
been “off scene” for a while, but the video for here new track, Freedom, shows
that she still has rock and roll in her blood.
It’s seared so deeply into her DNA that as the song lyrics at one point
suggest – the girl can’t help it.
Suzi Q has been defying stereotypes since the 1970s when she
burst onto the music scene as a striking presence - a rare combination of superb beats, great vocals and a fantastic stage act.So, it is also great to see a nod to her past
in the video, with the help of a little artificial intelligence (and this isn’t
AI slop when its used to such nostalgic effect).The song itself is in the vein of her best
tunes – lyrically straightforward, non-stop energetic and bursting withuncompromising joie de vivre.This is a singer-songwriter who is sublimely
comfortable in her own skin and knows exactly what she wants to do and exactly
how to do it.Her performance here seems
effortless; it’s simply Suzi Q being Suzi Q for three and a half fabulous
minutes.
Released to help build anticipation for her 2026 gigs (she willbe starting off in Scotland in April, making
her way through the UK and then over to Germany where the tour will conclude in
Wetzlar on 31 October), Freedom feels very much like a celebration of both past
and present.As one of comments on YouTube
says: “After all these decades Suzie Quatro still totally rocks and she's 100% unstoppable.”
The Buddha’s Hand fruit looks, to all intents and purposes, as if it could have been grown in a certain town called Springfield. As well as a three eyed fish, it would come as no surprise to see the Simpson siblings discover this peculiar fruit, grown as a result of contamination from Mr Burns’ nuclear power plant. However, this fruit is for real.
Unsurprisingly, Westerners often react to the plant by pointing out it looks like the hand of Freddy Krueger, not knowing that it was named after a hand millennia before. This weird citron grows on small shrubs and trees and has a thick peel. There is hardly any flesh within the fruit – sometimes none at all. Furthermore it has no juice and often has no seeds either. So what on earth is the use of this fruit?
Eight minutes. That’s all it takes for Gorillaz to remind
the world why they remain one of the most inventive acts of the 21st century. The
Mountain, The Moon Cave and The Sad God is not just a music video - it’s a
miniature animated epic that feels like a long-lost feature film distilled into
a single, breathless sitting.
You only need to read the comments below the video on YouTube.
So many people had the same reaction: how did eight minutes pass so quickly? I am pretty sure that many people will watch this three-pronged tail more than just once.
If “On Melancholy Hill” once captured a certain wistful
magic, this feels like its older, wiser sibling. Fans have joked that we’ve
graduated from a melancholy hill to a melancholy mountain – and that
description is pretty accurate. The
scale is grander, the tone more reflective, The emotional stakes higher (oh
boy, are they higher). Plus Murdoc gets to have an off-screen love affair - you can't really beat that kiss goodbye, can you?
The story unfolds with deceptive simplicity. The band
members live separate lives before converging at the mountain. From there, they
journey back towards the lake. Some fans interpret the structure as cyclical -
a reincarnation loop where endings are beginnings and loss is folded into
renewal. Whether intentional or not, the symbolism feels deliberate. Water,
mountains, caves - these are ancient metaphors, and Gorillaz wield them with
quiet confidence.
One moment, in particular, left me (and audiences) reeling. For
most of the short, not a word is spoken. Then Noodle mouths three simple words:
I love you. No sound. No fanfare. Just a fleeting movement of lips before she
jumps.
Stylistically, the short is a triumph. The hand-drawn 2D
animation has been widely praised as a love letter to traditional craft. In an
era of hyper-polished digital gloss, there’s something refreshing perhaps even
rebellious about visible linework and painterly texture. A huge thank you to all involved in the creation of this superlative piece of art.
A mountain, a lake, three unspoken words, and suddenly eight minutes feels like magic.
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