Sunday, August 14: The A.D.D. Detective
FILM FUN
by Leigh Lundin
Stephen King wrote an eerie novella, The Langoliers, in which monstrous flytraps chomp away at the world, Pacman-like creatures that consume everything in their path. Recently a friend sent a couple of short films, one which reminded me of a mini-version of The Langoliers.
These two short film stories share an unusual distinction, both were shot using high-resolution cell phones. Both were made using Nokia cell phones, which the British crew pronounces ‘KNOCK-ee-ah’. One has bragging rights to the smallest stop-animation character thus far filmed and the other claims the largest canvas for a stop-animation movie.
- Dot, smallest stop-motion animation character shot on a cellphone
- Gulp, world’s largest stop-motion animation shot on a cellphone
Dot
This story is The Langoliers under a magnifying glass. Fortunately our girl takes matters well in hand.
Sumo Science created the Dot character using a fascinating CAD technique, ‘3-D printing’, the ability to sculpt by computer.
Gulp
If Dot is The Langoliers in miniature, then Gulp is Moby Dick as viewed by Sumo Science.
Even better than the Gulp clip is how the film was made.
There you have it, cinema in the small and cinema in the large. See you at the movies!
Same creators, same tools, different perspective – I imagine somewhat like the difference between writing short stories and novels.
I do like ‘Dot’. I don’t like ‘The Langoliers’. I would like a 3-D printer.
It’s funny, Leigh — I liked The Langoliers (great storyline) until the langoliers actually appeared. At that point it got too silly to watch.
Maybe it’s just me, but I thought a lot of the movie/TV adaptations of King’s novels and stories didn’t seem to work. The only ones I liked were Misery, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, The Dead Zone, and maybe a couple others. I think he’s usually better in print than on the screen.
ABA, I’d LOVE a 3-D printer!
John, I agree. I remember after seeing Lawnmower Man thinking I’d just seen a remake of Frankenstein.
Have you guys seen The Mist and 1408? These are pretty good, too.
Leigh, “The Langoliers” the novella is much better than the TV-movie. I recommend the written version heartily. It’s in the collection Four Past Midnight, which also includes “Secret Window, Secret Garden” (filmed as Secret Window with Johnny Depp).