A Movie For The New Year
Posted January 2nd, 2009 by Howard TaylerI saw two movies yesterday, one on YouTube, and another at the local Cinemark Theater. One was an execrable work with little to recommend it and that said nothing worthwhile. The other was a brilliant piece, artistic and insightful, and worth seeing. And then worth seeing again.
The Spirit was gorgeous to look at, but nothing more. Sam Jackson stole every scene he was in, but in this film that’s like stealing candy from a baby. I won’t bother with a full review, because I would rather you watch something that is worth your time.
Validation is a short film from 2006 that my friend Dave Brady shared with his wife, and which she then posted to her Live Journal. It makes me smile, and makes me want to make you smile.
Watch this film. Get some duct-tape and a ball-gag for your inner cynic, and just watch. If anything can help us pull together through the challenges of the coming year, it is the basic principle taught here.
Happy New Year everyone. Smile!
Explore posts in the same categories: Movies
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:31 am
Wow…
Just, wow…
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
and this is why it’s worth spending time on youtube. every once in a while you come across a gem as worthwhile as this.
you have to let me know if you find any more short films from this director.
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Howard,
Thanks for the smile. :) Happy New Year!
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Yeah, validation is one of those “it makes you so happy you tear up” kind of things…..I forwarded that one to lots of folks….
(PS I covet your new plasma gun)
Turk
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Thanks, Howard – it worked! :)
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Thanks for the tip on The Spirit; now I won’t have to waste my money on it, and thanks for the grin. Validation IS a great movie. I’m gonna show it to the wife as soon as she is home.
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Thanks.
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Passed this on to at least 10 people so far. Great little movie.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:08 am
Speaking of Movies Which Aren’t Worth Watching: After 15 years of
waiting, _Jurassic Park_ has finally been shown on a Movie Channel,
sans commercials and sans TV editing-for-content; thus violating
what its maker said about its being shown lo those many years ago.
(”If you sit by the river long enough, you will see your enemy’s body
float past”…. >:) )
One hundred years from now, when the movie-making industry has
long since collapsed, historians will point to _JP_ and say “*THIS* is
the film which destroyed Hollywood”…. :|
January 3rd, 2009 at 8:17 am
Saw Validation a few weeks ago. A great short film, very well done. May still watch The Spirit, but only because I live a few blocks from the dollar theater.
January 3rd, 2009 at 8:55 am
Howard, that’s a really sweet film, I loved it. Then I started wandering through the OTHER films he’s done.
“Rent-A-Person” is another goodie ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w9cKFiCrSU ) If you watch Validation first, you’ll love the ending of this one.
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:04 am
As if other peoples’ trebuchets with thermobaric payloads weren’t enough to inspire us to behave well… Thanks for sharing, Howard! Pure awesomeness.
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Regardless of the film, when you make a tee-sirt of Jan 2’s last 2 panels, I WANT ONE in XXX!!
I’m ordering now, so I beat the rush!
January 3rd, 2009 at 5:08 pm
“Validation” was a compact little gem.
“The Spirit” was “disappointing” according to Himself, I have nothing to compare it to except things like “The 300″ or some of Frank Miller’s comic book work (yeah, haven’t seen “Sin City” … and I don’t want to). I found it very stylized. Not sure if that meant good, bad or blah.
January 4th, 2009 at 3:21 am
I smiled.
January 5th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Thanks for that. I smiled too.