#JohnHodgman

[movienized-com]

Up Here

Up Here (Serie 2023) #MaeWhitman #CarlosValdes #KatieFinneran #JohnHodgman #AndreaBurns #SophiaHammons Mehr auf:

Serie Jahr: 2023- (März) Genre: Comedy / Romantik Hauptrollen: Mae Whitman, Carlos Valdes, Katie Finneran, John Hodgman, Andrea Burns, Sophia Hammons, Emilia Suarez, Scott Porter, Julia McDermott, Ayumi Patterson, Brian Stokes Mitchell … Serienbeschreibung: Nach außen wirkt Lindsay (Mae Whitman) völlig gewöhnlich, doch kaum jemand weiß, dass sie ein Geheimnis hat: Seit vielen Jahren hört sie…

[raskainteriors]

#kitchenware#stove

#judge#johnhodgman

#popeyeslouisianakitchen

#california#pizzakitchen

#modularkitchen#building

#magnetic#kitchenstyle

#modularkitchen#synthesizer

#cookingathome#raskainteriors

#worldkitchen

#modularkitchen

[adamwatchesmovies]

Class Action Park (2020)

If you’ve never heard of the offence to safety that was Action Park, Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott III’s documentary will make your jaw drop. Even if you already “know”, you don’t know until you’ve seen the in-depth breakdown that is Class Action Park. Though crude, it’s such a good story you won’t be able to look away - much like the park itself.

Conceived by Eugene Mulvihill - a man who scoffed at regulations with pride - Action Park opened its doors in 1978. Its outrageous rides regularly caused the patrons injury. Very much a product of its time, many who grew up in New Jersey have fond memories of their visits and time working there - but not all.

Action Park was a place just waiting to be turned into a documentary (it also inspired 2018’s Action Point) for so many reasons. The reality of this place is too crazy to be made up. Think Pleasure Island from Pinocchio but with adults joining in the fun, mooning, drugs, severe injuries, and no magic. It’s a ghetto Disneyland meets Lord of the Flies and even when you think you’ve heard it all, that it can’t get worse, that nothing could surprise you, former lifeguards, security directors, patrons - or parents of patrons - will tell you something that’ll make you tip your hat to the audacity displayed.

Class Action Park makes you think “You would’ve never seen me step a foot in there” while also showing you its allure. The now grown-up teens who worked there are having a great time telling us why no one should’ve gone. You can tell, they kind of miss it and treasure these stories as favorites to bring up at parties to impress everyone listening. You find yourself feeling oddly nostalgic for the place, or at least what it represents. Now that you know which rides and slides were the worst, you wouldn’t have gone on the Cannonball Loop, the Colorado River, or the “Grave Pool”. You would’ve stayed where it was “safe” and remained an observer to be part of the story without endangering yourself.

And then, the movie snaps you back to reality by showing you the faces most tragically affected by Action Park. We learn about why rules and regulations are important, and what happens when people who have money and influence carelessly toss them aside. It’s funny to see it all unfold from a distance but the testimony of Esther Larsson brings you in the intimate middle of it. Suddenly, things aren’t as darkly funny as they used to be, which adds substance to the program.

I do have some criticisms towards the production of this doc. At several points, scenes or aspects of the park are simulated via cartoons. Cheap, ugly, quickly-rendered cartoons that would turn anyone off of this film if it weren't for the subject. Someone couldn't have thrown a bit of money their way? really?

Though Class Action Park isn't earth-shattering or profound, it tells a great story - one you won't easily forget. It informs, makes you want to learn more, and entertains. It's fascinating and horrifying at once. (April 21, 2021)

[pinkluminarystarlight]

Happy 49th birthday @hodgman! Congratulations, you are officially the oldest person on Tumblr. #WomansCrushWednesday

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : Coraline (2009)

When it comes to animated Halloween fare, I know the overwhelming majority lean towards The Nightmare Before Christmas, and believe me, I can understand why.  When it comes to me, however, I have a different film that I gravitate to when I need my scary animated fix, and that film is Coraline. 

Coraline (Dakota Fanning), along with her Mother (Teri Hatcher) and Father (John Hodgman), are settling into the Pink Palace Apartments, their new home in Oregon after relocating from Michigan.  Coraline is fascinated by her new strange surroundings, as both the house and her neighbors seem full of intrigue, including Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane), Miss Spink (Jennifer Saunders), Miss Forcible (Dawn French), and the young and odd Wybie (Robert Bailey Jr.), who gifts Coraline with a button-eyed doll that looks strangely similar to her.  Things get stranger when Coraline discovers a secret door in her home that leads her to the Other World, where she encounters Other versions of her parents that she is strangely attracted to despite their button eyes and underlying scariness.  As Coraline repeatedly explores the Other World, occurrences get stranger and stranger, and her neighbors begin to warn her that her actions may put her and everyone else in danger.  Despite the warnings, Coraline continues to explore, eventually leading her square into the middle of a battle for control of both worlds between the Others and the real world.

Coraline is like a psychological thriller made specifically for children to be able to relate to.  The scariness lies partially in visual scares, but the overwhelming fear comes from the mystery of the situation, and an inability to explain it even though you can understand it.  Coraline’s frustrations with her family and the lack of attention they show her manifested into the creation of the Other World, where everything is centered around her to a dangerous degree, making the movie an illustration of the old adage ‘be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it’.  The fact that the movie is based on a Neil Gaiman novel goes a long way towards explaining how the film is able to work on those two seemingly divergent levels.

The way that the story finds fresh ground to illustrate the literal feeling of fear one faces moving into a new, scary place is what locks us in immediately.  The strange location, the oddness of the Pink Palace apartments, and the strange characters that inhabit it are equally compelling and repulsive, which is what keeps Coraline (and us as viewers) hooked.  As we, like Coraline, journey forward with hopes to understand these unfamiliar surroundings, we go from a sense of something mysterious and magical being present to a real fear that a trap has seemingly been sprung.  The discoveries uncovered are much bigger than anticipated... so big, in fact, that they provide a genuine opportunity for heroism.

Lots of symbollic shorthand is used to convey the disturbing concepts connected to the antagonists in the film.  The concept of Other World, Other forms of those you know, and the button/covered eyes all have roots in deeply spiritual cultures and societies.  False realities and mirror dimensions have long been associated with the metaphysical, the mystical and science beyond the comprehension of laymen.  Even the Beldam has roots in folklore, with the old lady that may or may not be a witch being one of the longest-running tropes there is when it comes to spooky-related material.

The meticulous, breathtaking stop-motion animation is the true star of this show.  The eye for extreme detail is ever-present in regards to all aspects : the environment the story resides in (for both worlds, inside and outside), the movement of the human characters, the movement of the animals in the film, and elsewhere.  Certain characters, specifically the original residents of the Pink Palace, all have very distinct and exaggerated movements that, despite their grand nature, still feel natural.  Certain sequences stand out as centerpieces, like the creation of the portal that connects the worlds, the Other garden, Bobinsky’s Mouse Circus, and the Spink & Forcible performances.  If I remember correctly, the making of material stated two facts that I found incredibly interesting : the film was given a traditional (albeit miniaturized) wardrobe department, meaning all costuming was made as standard clothes, and not just amendments to the dolls; and, the entire film was shot once specifically for a screen test prior to the actual production taking place, meaning they did an entire stop-motion film essentially for practice, but ultimately to fine-tune the movements and details.

Dakota Fanning’s voice acting provides us with enough sass, curiosity and youthful determination to make Coraline an unforgettable character in the canon of stop-motion animation characters.  Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman both bring the adult/parental tone of being too busy to fully focus on their kid, but Hatcher provides a sharpness where Hodgman opts for a more deflated feel... both flip these aspects on their head for their Other-counterparts.  Robert Bailey Jr. incorporates just enough shyness and worry into his performance to make Wybie eccentric and emotional in equal measure.  Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French use an ironic formality to counterpart both their appearance and their slapstick-style interactions.  Ian McShane goes broad and over the top for the larger than life Bobinski.  Keith David is obviously channeling all of the fun he is having in the production into his limited performance opportunities voicing The Cat.  Brief vocal appearances by Caroline Crawford, Aanhka Neal, George Selick, Hannah Kaiser, Marina Budovsky and Harry Selick round out the cast.

Many, many people have told me that I need to see ParaNorman due to my love of Coraline, and one of these days I’m sure I will.  Having seen Coraline originally on a big-screen (and in 3-d, no less, which worked quite well), it’s hard to imagine another film taking the place of this one, no matter how good it may be.

[hodgman]

Sumthin’ to do. #bigchickenbarn (at Big Chicken Barn Books & Antiques) https://www.instagram.com/johnhodgman/p/CYW0DUiFGJX/?utm_medium=tumblr

[scottaukerman]

‪This week’s Comedy Bang Bang has humorists & creators of DICKTOWN, @johnhodgman & @thisisdavidrees!‬ - ‪Then, Jill Noll the Magic Doll (@pftompkins) explains how to find magic in the world. And we’re joined by podcast guest P.A.I.G.E. (@mattgourley)!‬ - Listen and subscribe wherever you get podcasts! https://www.instagram.com/p/CCTZM8HH8Gu/?igshid=zokh8hja4lgm

[luka-rock]

Sullivan Stapleton and @johnhodgman

Chief Inspector of the FBI Office Jonas Fischer

#SullivanStapleton

#KurtWeller

#Blindspot

[wilwheaton]

#Repost @johnhodgman ・・・ 10,000 percent co-sign. Tell your people, your dads and moms and sisters and brothers and college friends and everyone on Facebook that @fuckjerry is a fucking jerrying scourge. Thanks, @nickthune for writing the right words and making this easy. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtW9tunA3aY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1hg7klkzsa4bx

[mistergoodmorning]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Neal (@nealgaffey)

My cat Big Shirley and I were guests on @johnhodgman ‘s Instagram talk show Get Your Pets today and we talked quite a bit about St. Elsewhere and I hummed its theme song. I just walked by there on my way back from the grocery store and videoed it so that people can see what it looks like today, all Orange Line-less and more grown in than it was in the 1980s when the opening shots were filmed. It didn’t occur to me that I should have hummed the theme when filming this. #getyourpets #johnhodgman #stelsewhere #franklinsquare #boston #southend (at St Elsewhere) https://www.instagram.com/p/B--oqf8BBWZ/?igshid=baoktbu0bqbi

[raskainteriors]

#kitchenware #stove #judge #johnhodgman #popeyeslouisianakitchen #california #pizzakitchen #modularkitchen #building #magnetic #kitchenstyle #modularkitchen #synthesizer #cookingathome #raskainteriors #worldkitchen #modularkitchen

[crimsong19]

Pretty pleased with how these @grrmspeaking & @hodgman photos from tonight's #FireAndBlood @wordbookstores book event turned out, along with the conversation on writing, adaptations, Bayonne, and Stan Lee. #GeorgeRRMartin #JohnHodgman #A6000 #Alpha6000 #SonyAlpha6000 #SonyA6000 #AlphaClub (at Loew's Jersey Theatre) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqYr1sMgKnH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=wkg67v63r8la

[pastoraleglatine]

Bought at @johnhodgman ATL book talk last year;just saw Vacationland in @northshiresaratoga The book is a keeper and the bookstore makes me love my first Saratoga Springs visit even more! #JohnHodgman #saratogasprings #northshiresaratoga #indiebookstore #bookstagram #book #iloveny (at Saratoga Springs, New York)

[elwoodsoundmedia]

And it was glorious. John Hodgman is hilarious. And Monte was a great antagonist. Thanks again @sheatheater and Local 232 for the great night of work. And thank you my love @hangingspark120 for being the best teammate ever!!! So blessed for this life! ❤️🎭👏🌈#vacationland #johnhodgman #monte #wrsi #sheatheater #laughoutloud (at Shea Theater Arts Center)

[veequeue]

John Hodgman takes a call (and talks about Maine) . . #johnhodgman #vacationland #maine #coolidgecornertheater #books #lolz #brooklinebooksmith #bunchadorks #adadventurumhome #Boston #jjhointhewild (at Coolidge Corner Theatre)

[praxjarvin]

Relaxing after a long day of class with John Hodgman's latest, VACATIONLAND, and a huge cup of tea. #vacationland #johnhodgman #booknerd #reading