Top 10 Studio Ghibli Films: #3 Porco Rosso

by on October 10, 2012

Porco Rosso was released in 1992 and is Italian for Crimson Pig.  Miyazaki wrote and directed this delightful film, which is based on his manga Hikōtei Jidai.  Porco Rosso is an eccentric WWI fighter pilot, bounty hunter and a pig.  No he isn’t a chauvinist, but a real pig!  He has some follies with some pirates and recharges his batteries at the Hotel Adriano ran by his friend Gina.

pr1 Top 10 Studio Ghibli Films: #3 Porco Rosso

Porco Rosso is expertly voiced by Michael Keaton.  The defeated pirates, upset and intimidated, hire an American pilot Curtis to track down and kill Porco Rosso.  He manages to shoot down the pig and destroy his plane, but Keaton survives (of course).  What does he do now?  Go to Milan.

pr3 Top 10 Studio Ghibli Films: #3 Porco Rosso

In Milan, Fio fixes up Porco Rosso’s plane with an all female team.  Fio is the granddaughter of his master mechanic and fixes the plane with ease.  Anthropomorphic pig fighter pilots do not forget as easily as one may think.  Porco heads home, but is captured and ends up dueling Curtis.  What happens?  How did Porco Rosso become a pig?  Does he stay a pig?  Only you can answer these questions, by watching this wonderful film!

pr2 Top 10 Studio Ghibli Films: #3 Porco Rosso

Strong female characters and airplanes accent this Miyazaki style.  Look forward to Porco Rosso 2 in 2013!

Candy Ranking 10/10.  Keep It Tasty!

pr4 Top 10 Studio Ghibli Films: #3 Porco Rosso

{ 10 comments }

Willem de Kooning

by on September 11, 2012

Willem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract painter from the same class as Jackson Pollock.  He lived from 1904-1997.  He was known for his ambiguous paintings of people who would morph into each other.  Kooning‘s paint layered into the unknown and the expressive.  Kooning struggled with alcohol near his death and had Alzheimer’s.

dk Willem de Kooning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Excavation, 1950

{ 0 comments }

David Hockney

by on September 1, 2012

David Hockney is a British artist and was born in 1937, making him 75.  He is a great painter and photographer and helped push the pop art movement.  Hockney was born with synesthesia, which causes him to see colors to music.  Synesthesia is when one sensory input causes a different, involuntary one to appear. Below is an example of David Hockney‘s work.

dh David Hockney

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 American Collectors 1968 hangs in the Chicago Art Institute.  The woman’s smile mimics the totem pole’s! David Hockney is also a master of displaying natural light. Keep It Tasty!

{ 0 comments }

Top 10 Studio Ghibli Films: #4 Princess Mononoke

by on August 28, 2012

Princess Mononoke was written and directed by Miyazaki. It stars a young boy Ashitaka (Billy Crudup), who kills a demon-god boar that infects him with a toxic curse.  He exponentially grows stronger, but the curse will kill him if he doesn’t cauterize the poison.  He travels west to find a cure and runs into an iron town.  The town is at perpetual war with a pack of wolf led by a young girl San (Tara Strong), known as Princess Mononoke, and they live in a forest populated with a spirit god and a bunch of whimsical sprites.  Lady Eboshi (Minnie Driver) runs the town and a pseudo battle between nature and machine ensues.

pm Top 10 Studio Ghibli Films: #4 Princess Mononoke

Maybe San and Ashitaka like each other and have a polarized lust. Perhaps Billy Bob Thornton voices the character Jiko-Bou.  Princess Mononoke exemplifies a true Miyazaki masterpiece.  The Candy Ranking is 9.5/10.  There is no need for spoilers or hype you must see this movie.  Taciturnity will suffice.  It transcends everything about films and soothes what a person strives for in cinema.  Keep It Tasty!  Go see Princess Mononoke, three masterpieces remain…

pm1 Top 10 Studio Ghibli Films: #4 Princess Mononoke

{ 5 comments }

Acerbic

by on August 24, 2012

Acerbic means…

{ 0 comments }

Virulent

by on August 21, 2012

A lesson on the meaning of Virulent !

{ 0 comments }

Ebullient

by on August 19, 2012

A lesson on the meaning of Ebullient !

{ 2 comments }

Andy Warhol

by on August 17, 2012

Andy Warhol was soft spoken and the father of pop art.  He was from Pittsburgh and lived from 1928-1987.  In 1949 Warhol earned a degree in fine arts and graphic design.  He revolutionized the silk screen process and was famous for his depiction of household goods.

Warhol had a studio dubbed “The Factory” that moved locations from time to time in Manhattan.  An eclectic group of people gathered here and Warhol made some films.  An unknown fact was that he was very religious and attended Church daily.  He wanted to keep it private and the majority of the public was quite unaware.  Keep It Tasty!

aw Andy Warhol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mao Zedong painting by Warhol in the Chicago Art Institute

{ 1 comment }

Jackson Pollock

by on August 16, 2012

Jackson Pollock was an American abstract expressionist painter (1912-1956).  He died in a car crash at the age of 44.  Lee Krasner was his wife and a formidable painter herself.  She helped promote him and bring Pollock to fame.  For a segment of his life he was extremely famous as well as a reclusive alcoholic.  His style is unique and looks like paint splatter.

Pollock was famous for his techniques and painted without the brush touching the canvas.   He revolutionized the art game.  Ed Harris directed in stared in an excellent film about Pollock’s life, but is rated R.  Watch if you are of age and Keep It Tasty!

jp Jackson Pollock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A cool Jackson Pollock painting in the Chicago Art Institute

{ 2 comments }

Jasper Johns

by on August 14, 2012

Jasper Johns is an American painter from Georgia and was born on May 15, 1930.  He is currently 82.  His style is like pop art with classical influences, his subject matter is famous for his depiction of the American flag.  The technical jargon for Jasper Johns style is Neo-Dadaist.

In 1990 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts and Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  His paintings fetch prices in the Millions.  Keep It Tasty JJ!

jj Jasper Johns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corpse and Mirror II, 1974-75 in the Chicago Art Institute

{ 1 comment }

Previous Posts

 Feed Feed Feed Candy

Contact and Submissions

Hit Counter provided by Skylight

Switch to our mobile site