HMWYBS: The Saddest Children in the World Trilogy

For this week's Best Shot episode, the last 'detour' before the final three classics for the season, I wanted to introduce all of you to the short films of Jamie Travis. The Canadian filmmaker has only made one feature, the phone sex comedy For a Good Time, Call... (2012) and he's been making a living with commercials and the MTV series Faking It of late.  His true claim to fame and the reason we should all root for bigger feature film things to come are his two short film trilogies.

Jamie Travis and the trilogy that hooked me

I first became obsessed with his work when I was on a festival jury and saw the first film in the Patterns trilogy, a trilogy which might be semi-accurately described as a fusion of Lynchian nightmare, oddball musical, and romantic dramedy. A few years ago I geeked out and embarrassed myself when I met him at a retrospective of his work at the Nashville Film Festival. It's not every short filmmaker who wins shamelessly adoring fans and festival retrospectives of their work!

For Best Shot, we're looking at his first trilogy 'the Saddest Children'. The films are only related by subject matter but they're worth watching in order because they get better and better and give you the opportunity to watch an artist perfect his original voice. What follows is my short write up on each film, followed by the Best Shot choices on other fine blogs. Click on those photos to be transported to the adjacent articles and make sure to watch the films themselves. As per usual reading other pieces makes me think "why didn't I see, respond to, or  get that in that way?!" which is half the reason I love doing this series.

WHY THE ANDERSON CHILDREN DIDN'T COME TO DINNER (2003)
In which three morose seven year-olds long to escape the mother who keeps overfeeding them...

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"Share a Diet Coke with..."

Whenever I buy a Diet Coke I feel friendless because invariably I don't have friends in town with the random name I get. The other day I got a "Maddy" and a "Rick". But look what one of TFE's favorite loyal readers, Evan, saw in the deli!

How great is that?

Talk about accidental brilliance. Sadly these West Side lovers were discovered on the East Side. "East Side Story" just doesn't have the same ring to it. 

The most exciting "Share" I've ever gotten is this one. He's fictional but you can't have everything. 

Curio: Suspect and Fugitive

Alexa here with your weekly arts and crafts.   Nathaniel's banana Bond boredom from last week reminded me of a project that Seattle-based artist Kris Garland/Rakka Deer did back in 2008.  Titled Suspect and Fugitive, the series involved making one item a day from suspect (questionable) and fugitive (non archival) materials. This involved Rakka combining pop culture portraiture with food (and sometimes other materials) in new and clever ways every day for one year.

Like this pancake Cate Blanchett...

Pancake Blanchett

Maybe Nathaniel should try this.  Favorite actresses and foodstuffs maybe?  In any case, here is some more inspiration courtesy of Rakka from Donnie Darko to Doris Day after the jump

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True Story: Boredom, Bananas, Bond

On Wednesday I drew a picture of James Bond on a Banana and posted it online.

Nathaniel R. "Bond on Banana" 2014. Mixed Media on Fruit, 9"x1½"

I have no explanation for this other than the perfect storm / terrible timing of innate online playfulness fused with genuine insanity and egged on by dread over Jury Duty to commence the following morning. Jury Duty is so boring (you just sit in a very official dull room in monotony waiting for your name to be called for 16 hours! I'm still there right now as you read this.) that on Wednesday I felt something akin to complete preemptive desperation to amuse myself. So when The Incredible Suit (whose blog I've always loved) promised he'd review it if someone drew Bond on a Banana, I did.

He kept his promise and I am left frightened at how deeply burrowed Daniel Craig in a blue speedo must be in my psyche. The worst part of the story is that I didn't have any bananas in the house when the promise was made. So... yeah.

I will be voluntarily committing myself to Bellevue Psychiatric shortly. It was nice knowing all of you!

P.S. I am mildly allergic to bananas but not to Bond's banana.

Maleficent Cake. Yum?

Happy Birthday Angelina Jolie! They made a cake for the megastar when Maleficent premiered in China. (More pics of her visit at Variety). Do you want some?

poll by twiigs.com

Pleez, it's not like Angelina is actually going to eat it!

You saw her with the pizza at the Oscars or, rather, you saw her without the pizza at the Oscars. I suspect we're going to get way too many Disney Villain movies now that Maleficent is a massive hit. But I really don't think they should make an Ursula cake. Seafood is not for dessert.