sylvain chomet -the illusionist

The newest feature from Sylvain Chomet (The Triplettes of Belleville) is The Illusionist, and it will be the opening film of the 2010 Edinburgh International Film Festival (held June 16-27).

The film is set in 1950s Edinburgh and the Western Isles; locations depicted in the animated feature include Princes Street, Jenners, The Balmoral Hotel, Broughton Place (the street, not the Scott designed home), George Street, Arthur's Seat and Oban. The adventures of the titular (love saying that) over-the-hill magician are based upon an unrealised script by Jacques Tati, (a sort of paternal love letter), the action of which Chomet transposed to Scotland after he moved here in 2004.

I saw the trailer a while ago on /film and admit I gave up after 10 seconds... the pseudo-Beatles guys threw me off. Have included an alt trailer above. Was not crazzzzy about Triplettes honestly, though you had to doff your cap for style and effort. Sis sent this through yday with some stills attached and the old-world look of rural Scotland and vanished Edinburgh are worth the price of admission. Physical humor abounds too; not surprising since taken from a Tati script...

i am love

... I Am Love matches the delicate grandeur of Guadagnino’s directing style and the highly strung emotion of John Adams’s music on the soundtrack (the first time the American composer has allowed his music to be used for a film). The swirling, intensifying focus moves from the claustrophobia of a Milan mansion during a family dinner to the breezier, looser environs of rural Liguria as Swinton’s character frees herself from the strictures of her marriage, inspired partly by her daughter’s coming out as a lesbian. It’s heady, romantic and tragic stuff...

As well as starring in I Am Love, Swinton is a producer on the film...
-via TimeOutLondon

I don't like everything Tilda Swinton does but have a lot of time for her. A character no doubt. This latest film I Am Love looks a bit intense but also looks amazing.

warwick johnson cadwell

Just found British illustrator and cartoonist Warwick Johnson Cadwell (may recognize his style from jobs with the FT and he has recently done an ABC Warriors strip). Like this stuff alot. He has a few recurring characters going on; Holmes and Watson, Jekyll and Hyde as well as tons of original stuff, many with a nautical twist. See his blog.

WJC agreed to share these images below riffing on Tintin's The Black Island. Good gag.

captain haddock

Captain H absolutely slays it. Bow-tie askew (essential) so they know it is real, working cuffs on your tweed jacket (natch'), silk pj's/dressing gown/belt of whisky... probably Peal&Co. slippers too...

tabasco miniatures

Love the tiny Tabascos. Hard to find in the wild though can be ordered direct from Tasbaco themselves. Key for picnics. I could probably finish a (v stylish) gallon jug of Tabasco, but how the heck do you use it? Need a dedicated pipette I guess...

home greens

We don't get toooo crazy w/ the home growing -would like to do more... but salad greens are really rewarding incase you are thinking of doing something and need a little nudge. Planted these less than a month ago and now that they are up you can get salad greens for 2persons nightly. It is now the time to plant round 2 [done -ed.]; then, when you pull the last of the current crop you plant round 3. Repeat all the way through late summer. Can't recommend it enough.

This is our backyard/urban garden; about 100 sq. feet of planting area / only partial sun. Cherry tomatoes in too (not from seed) as they pay easy dividends. Cherries are great since once they start to come in you can pick a few every night practically.

Not an aficionado on home gardening, but feels pretty great to go and pick dinner. Didn't use any crazy seeds, got them at Shaws I think. A 2 second search shows that these Botanical Interests do buy some seeds from Monsato, the Round-Up(TM)-gene resistant seed monolith... [but, update; Botanical Interests do pride theselves on being a non-GMO, untreated seed provider, further reading.]

There is a whole world of seed politics out there, upon which I am not really qualified to comment -but have recently discovered Fedco Seeds (a cooperative seed supplier from Maine) who are taking a stand against genetically modified seeds. (Further reading) and on a lighter note they have a much-lauded catalog that serves as winter reading for rural types. Looking forward to it.

More reading:
List of Monsato subsidiary companies.
Article discussing Monsato and its 2005 purchase of another huge vegetable seed company Seminis.