People in the indie book world are sharply divided on whether or not crowd funding your author life is ethical or not. The arguments around authors starting Kickstarters and GoFundMes to either fund the writing of their novel or finish a series (with the implication that readers would not receive the conclusion to the series unless the fundraising goal was met) is always pretty much the same: one side feels it’s unethical or “just not done”, the other thinks that any objection to the crowdfunding model is a denial of any author’s right to compensation for their work.
But one thing both sides probably will agree on? Don’t call people who disapprove of your model “cock juggling thunder cunts.”
I love animated movies. Here are some that I love, that I think you should watch, too. And I’m putting them in no particular order.
PERSEPOLIS
Based on the graphic novel memoir of Majane Satrapi, Persepolis is a true story of growing up in Iran after the Islamic Revolution and during the Iranian war with Iraq. It’s gripping and scary, and retains the style of the original black and white illustrations. I highly recommend reading the book first, so you can appreciate the frames reproduced directly in the film. It’s sad and funny, and the feminist ideals of the author remain intact in the film version.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
Before Peter Jackson’s sprawling adaptation, Ralph Bakshi’s animated condensing of Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings and The Two Towers were the only way to experience a film version of the fantasy epic. The film doesn’t stick to one animation style, utilizing rotoscoping, solarization live-action, and psychedelic lighting effects for a look that’s staggeringly unique. While significant cuts were made to fit the story into its two hour run time and the Rankin-Bass sequel was far inferior in comparison, this is worth watching, even if only to find the scenes that Peter Jackson blatantly cribbed for his version.
INSIDE OUT
The premise of Inside Out is fairly simple: your emotions are little creatures that live inside your head. Isn’t that quirky? Disney/Pixar could have gotten by on silliness alone, but instead they used the chance to show the effects of clinical depression on a preteen girl, in a way that audiences of all ages can understand. When Joy and Sadness go missing in Riley’s brain, only Disgust, Fear, and Anger are left to drive her through her day to day life. As Joy and Sadness struggle to help Riley, she shrinks from her old interest, friends, and finally her family. It sounds like a total bummer, but it’s packed with as much humor as sentimentality. As a bonus, it can give kids a better understanding of mental illness without the veneer of social stigma distorting the message.
THE PRINCE OF EGYPT
There are some stories that can just work better as animated movies. The scope of the story of the Exodus is huge, would require a cast of thousands or expensive CGI effects, and expensive locations. Dreamworks’s decision to animate it was a stroke of brilliance. Without the hindrance of having to pay extras or build elaborate sets, they were free to create a true cinema epic that, despite being marketed to families, pulls no punches depicting the brutality of slavery and the horrors of the biblical plagues. And while there are shockingly few Jewish actors or People of Color portraying Hebrew characters or character of color in the voice cast (off the top of my head, only Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, and Ofra Haza come to mind), the stylized visuals are stunning, the music is Broadway caliber, and the story proves powerful enough to resonate across cultural and religious lines.
THE LAST UNICORN
This is not only my favorite animated movie of all time, but it’s high in the running for my favorite movie overall. I rented this one over and over when I was a kid, but it was only after I watched it as an adult that I truly understood its themes of the destructiveness of possession, the danger of hubris, and longing to be something that you’re not. The visuals are enchanting, the voice cast is like this ridiculous cavalcade of talent, and I hardly ever watch it anymore because I can’t make it through the main titles (and the theme song, written and performed by America, as are all the tracks) before I burst into tears.
Over the past week, the spam comments on this blog have gotten ridiculous. As in, thousands every day. Tez Miller, my awesome comment moderator was dealing with sorting through all of these comments to make sure your real comments got through (she also provides other services for authors who need help with stuff like taking care of your emails or social media accounts, and she’s super dedicated, so check her out if you’re interested), but we got a new plug-in to deal with the situation and I think we’ve got it taken care of now.
However, this is the internet. And shit almost always happens. If you posted a comment in the last twenty-four hours–and you were not trying to sell me sunglasses or discount Nike products–and you don’t see it showing up, please let me know either through my Twitter account or email. Those links are available in the bar above, under “contact”. We’ll figure something out through hard work, boot straps, good old American ingenuity, etc. or whatever.
Hey everybody! Do you remember back in the day when D-Rock and I had a weekly show here on the blog? We called it Roadhouse and we talked about a lot of random shit. Well, it isn’t back, because D-Rock lives all the way across the country now. But someone on Tumblr was like, “Hey, I like that you’re doing more videos lately,” and I was like, “Yeah, why did I stop?” so here. Have a video in which I rant about how fucked up it is that Miley Cyrus can run around all over the place talking about weed and co-opting black culture when she’s not in any danger of being treated the way black people are treated by our drug laws. And I also touch on why abled people shouldn’t try to center themselves as the loudest voices in the pro-legalization movement.
OTHER NEWSES
Giveaway prizes are half-shipped. If you haven’t received yours yet, it’s probably because it hasn’t made it to the post office yet because I can only fit so many things into my bike basket. Things have been a little hectic lately and while I meant to get them all out last week, it just didn’t happen, so thank you for your patience and I promise the rest will ship tomorrow.
Book News! I’ve been figuring out my writing schedule for next year, and it’s not going to include as many self-pub releases. I’ve got a really exciting joint project I’m working on with someone with the intent of seeking a traditional contract, as well as an old release I’m retooling for similar purposes. But I do have two projects that are definitely slated for next year, Second Chance (which will be two new Ian and Penny dual novels) and an as-yet-untitled second spin-off from the Boss series, featuring Emir as one of the heroes. Yup, it’s going to be M/M.
So, that’s what’s going on in Trout Nation at the moment.
Look, I knew this was going to be a big deal for me. Hence the countdown I did all week here on the blog. I just didn’t realize how big it would be. So I’m going to try to tell you all about it. I’m just not sure I’ll accurately convey how incredible it was.
In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone has still not learned her lesson about buying Cheez-Its to keep in her office. She will also recap every episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer with an eye to the following themes:
Sex is the real villain of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer universe.
Giles is totally in love with Buffy.
Joyce is a fucking terrible parent.
Willow’s magic is utterly useless (this one won’t be an issue until season 2, when she gets a chance to become a witch)
Xander is a textbook Nice Guy.
The show isn’t as feminist as people claim.
All the monsters look like wieners.
If ambivalence to possible danger were an Olympic sport, Team Sunnydale would take the gold.
Angel is a dick.
Harmony is the strongest female character on the show.
Team sports are portrayed in an extremely negative light.
Some of this shit is racist as fuck.
Science and technology are not to be trusted.
Mental illness is stigmatized.
Only Willow can use a computer.
Buffy’s strength is flexible at the plot’s convenience.
Cheap laughs and desperate grabs at plot plausibility are made through Xenophobia.
Oz is the Anti-Xander
Spike is capable of love despite his lack of soul
Don’t freaking tell me the vampires don’t need to breathe because they’re constantly out of frickin’ breath.
The foreshadowing on this show is freaking amazing.
Smoking is evil.
Despite praise for its positive portrayal of non-straight sexualities, some of this shit is homophobic as fuck.
How do these kids know all these outdated references, anyway?
Technology is used inconsistently as per its convenience in the script.
Sunnydale residents are no longer shocked by supernatural attacks.
Casual rape dismissal/victim blaming a-go-go
Snyder believes Buffy is a demon or other evil entity.
Have I missed any that were added in past recaps? Let me know in the comments. Even though I might forget that you mentioned it.
WARNING: Some people have mentioned they’re watching along with me, and that’s awesome, but I’ve seen the entire series already and I’ll probably mention things that happen in later seasons. So… you know, take that under consideration, if you’re a person who can’t enjoy something if you know future details about it.
