Beautiful Studio Ghibli Tribute Illustrations By Yaphleen

Yaphleen, who also goes by the name of Yaya has been hard at work on a series of beautiful illustrations paying tribute to the works of Studio Ghibli, and they are pretty stunning. Executed in a handful of different styles, ranging from painterly renderings to more graphic takes inspired by the likes of Alphonse Mucha, each of her pieces offer a distinct interpretation of the spirit of each film.

While the folks at Studio Ghibli have gone back to simpler, more understated stories as of late with movies like Up On Poppy Hill and Arrietty, Yaphleen has stuck to her favorite epics, including memorable features like Princess Mononoke (My personal favorite), Castle In The Sky, Spirited Away and Nausicaa, which you can enjoy after the break. While you're at it, don't forget to check out the preview for Studio Ghibli's first teaser for The Wind Rises. - See more at: http://www.awesome-robo.com/2013/07/beautiful-studio-ghibli-tribute.html#sthash.V8a4ko5f.dpuf

Yaphleen, who also goes by the name of Yaya has been hard at work on a series of beautiful illustrations paying tribute to the works of Studio Ghibli, and they are pretty stunning. Executed in a handful of different styles, ranging from painterly renderings to more graphic takes inspired by the likes of Alphonse Mucha, each of her pieces offer a distinct interpretation of the spirit of each film.

While the folks at Studio Ghibli have gone back to simpler, more understated stories as of late with movies like Up On Poppy Hill and Arrietty, Yaphleen has stuck to her favorite epics, including memorable features like Princess Mononoke (My personal favorite), Castle In The Sky, Spirited Away and Nausicaa, which you can enjoy after the break. While you're at it, don't forget to check out the preview for Studio Ghibli's first teaser for The Wind Rises. - See more at: http://www.awesome-robo.com/2013/07/beautiful-studio-ghibli-tribute.html#sthash.V8a4ko5f.dpuf

Yaphleen, who also goes by the name of Yaya has been hard at work on a series of beautiful illustrations paying tribute to the works of Studio Ghibli, and they are pretty stunning. Executed in a handful of different styles, ranging from painterly renderings to more graphic takes inspired by the likes of Alphonse Mucha, each of her pieces offer a distinct interpretation of the spirit of each film.

While the folks at Studio Ghibli have gone back to simpler, more understated stories as of late with movies like Up On Poppy Hill and Arrietty, Yaphleen has stuck to her favorite epics, including memorable features like Princess Mononoke (My personal favorite), Castle In The Sky, Spirited Away and Nausicaa, which you can enjoy after the break. While you're at it, don't forget to check out the preview for Studio Ghibli's first teaser for The Wind Rises. - See more at: http://www.awesome-robo.com/2013/07/beautiful-studio-ghibli-tribute.html#sthash.V8a4ko5f.dpuf

Yaphleen, who also goes by the name of Yaya has been hard at work on a series of beautiful illustrations paying tribute to the works of Studio Ghibli, and they are pretty stunning. Executed in a handful of different styles, ranging from painterly renderings to more graphic takes inspired by the likes of Alphonse Mucha, each of her pieces offer a distinct interpretation of the spirit of each film.

While the folks at Studio Ghibli have gone back to simpler, more understated stories as of late with movies like Up On Poppy Hill and Arrietty, Yaphleen has stuck to her favorite epics, including memorable features like Princess Mononoke (My personal favorite), Castle In The Sky, Spirited Away and Nausicaa, which you can enjoy after the break. While you're at it, don't forget to check out the preview for Studio Ghibli's first teaser for The Wind Rises. - See more at: http://www.awesome-robo.com/2013/07/beautiful-studio-ghibli-tribute.html#sthash.V8a4ko5f.dpuf

See more at: http://www.awesome-robo.com/2013/07/beautiful-studio-ghibli-tribute.html#sthash.V8a4ko5f.dpuf

Mama

I found this short film on a halloween list of 9 scariest short internet films. Looks like part of the new Guillermo del Toro film coming out titled simply "Mama."

This incredible director is responsible for many of my all time favourite films such as El Orfanato and The Devil's Backbone.

This film doesn't come out until January 18, 2013 and I CAN NOT WAIT ANY LONGER!

A Tribute to Pyramid Head

Just got back from watching Silent Hill Revelation, and I would like to take a moment to pay tribute to my favourite monster of all time...Pyramid Head. Could he be any hotter??

Props to the talented Roberto Campanella, a professional ballet dancer and choreographer, who portrays Pyramid Head in both of the Silent Hill movies and does an incredible job of bringing the sexy terrifying creature to life.
Here is a rilly rilly interesting video of the choreography for all the silent hill 
monsters. 

Here's to you Pyramid Head, Man/Monster of my dreams!!

Sexytime

Halloween Viewing LIst #5: High Tension

#5: High Tension (2003):

This French film by director Alexandre Aja is a good old-fashioned bloody, crying mess. Lots of suspense and adrenaline-pumping scenes, but mainly horrific gore and lots of mangled human flesh to feast your eyes on. 

Two beautiful young university students, Marie and Alexa, drive into the picturesque French countryside to visit Alexa's parents for the weekend. 

High Tension (also titled "Switchblade Romance) skips the foreplay and cuts right to the chase, delivering up gore right on your doorstep.
It could be classified as a Slasher flick, but a much higher-quality production and far for intelligent than most of those in the genre.

The lead character Marie becomes more and more of a badass as the film progresses which always a plus!

 Check it out this Halloween as an addition to your lovely, deranged, demented gore-fest. 

Enjoy! ^_^

Halloween Viewing List#4: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

 

#4: Rare Exports, A Christmas Tale (2010):

Directed by Jalmari Helander, Strange Exports is a charming Christmas story of a young Finnish boy who learns about the sinister tradition behind Santa Claus, that has long been buried until now...

 Pietari lives with his father, a reindeer hunter, in northern Finland, butchering and packing their own meet during the long dark nights, when things start to go awry. The reindeer hunters wake one day to find that ever single animal has been slaughtered on the hillside, by an unknown creature. 
Children begin to disappear from the snowy secluded town , and Pietari sets out to stop Santa before Christmas Eve when he will kill again.

 
 There is a legend that centuries ago the citizens were threatened by horned monsters. They were able to trick them onto the lake, where they froze. One of them was cut out inside a giant block of ice and buried deep beneath the mound. And now foreign excavators from America have come to dig up the past that would have been better left buried...

This is a wonderfully made, visually awesome, endearing, cute and funny film that is well worth the watch. A lot of thought has been put into the development of the characters and their relationships, it's a beautiful piece of work, and it's fun to listen to the Finnish language.  It's a clever parody of the myth of Santa intertwined with Norse mythology, as well as consumerism in general. Enjoy! ^_^

Halloween Viewing List #3: Bug

#3: Bug

Willian Friedkin, the director of The Exorcist has only put out a handful of movies over the last few decades. This is partly due to the fact that he will not release a film until he is completely satisfied with it, and holds himself to extremely high standards; he is quoted as saying "By the time a film of mine makes it into the theaters, I have a love-hate relationship with it. There is always something I could have done to make it better."

Bug is testament to this tendency, and while it may not be for everyone, if you can stomach it you will not be disappointed. This film did not enjoy much success in the mainstream, and for that reason has been largely overlooked, but this is a very tense, disturbing and artfully written film with incredible performances by Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon (who seems to never turn off his crazed, tortured persona even in interviews...).

Bug is a great character portrait of two lonely and somewhat tragic souls who are roaming this earth, profoundly damaged and changed by past experiences, and who find something they need in each other. They say that misery loves company, and this relationship serves to whip both members into a frenzy of paranoia, mental illness and desperation. 

In a strange way, Bug is a tender love story between the two main characters who really cling to each other, almost immediately  recognizing their connection in grief, loss and despair. There is a lot in the film that is left open to interpretation, which I really like.

I won't give too much away on this film, it's best just to watch it. DON'T ASK QUESTIONS JUST DO IT. It's intense and there are some graphic scenes including some of domestic violence which may be hard for some viewers, so there is your disclaimer.
 This is more of a psychological thriller, it's hard to classify as it's very unique, but it's definitely chilling and you won't soon forget it.....

Halloween Viewing List #2: Black Christmas

#2: Black Christmas 1974:

Black Christmas, directed by Bob Clark, is often credited as being the very first slasher flick of its kind, and really signals the beginning of the teen slasher movie genre. A house of sorority sisters settling down for the holidays are plagued by a series of obscene prank calls, followed by crimes of increasing severity by a mystery sex-offender/murderer. Black Christmas was the very first film to use the "killer-cam" technique, and in my opinion it uses this technique in the most effective method to-date. 

The use of suspense is excellent and increases right through the movie, there is the use of really horrifying images that stay with you (especially if you are lucky enough to live in a big, old house with vents and an attic...)  and the classic horror theme of the lead female character knowing something is terribly wrong yet having those around her downplaying it or flat out not believing it. The film has also served as a major influence for virtually every single slasher flick that has come out since. 

What makes this film so disturbing and scary is the killer....he is so depraved and creepy, and downright bizarre that it really stays with you.  Another bonus is you get to watch the lead protagonist Margot Kidder, aka the Most Beautiful Woman in the World!

Do yourself a favour and check out this gem, educate yourself on the history of the ever-popular slasher film, and get ready to feel like someone is watching you whenever your alone for the next month!!!

Happy Viewing ^_^ 

Halloween Viewing List #1: Hausu

Here is the first segment of La Tercera Madre's recommending viewing list for this Samhain season. I've tried to pick some good unusual ones that perhaps you have not seen, mixed in with some old classics. I'll be posting the film suggestions one by one to countdown the days to Halloween, (21 days to go!) I hope you enjoy the list! Also, please forward your suggestions to me, I'm always on the look out for a new awesome horror flick.

#1: Hausu, 1977. 

This film is a must see, a surrealist dream, or nightmare from the mind of Nobuhiko Obayash. The original review reads "This satirical murder mystery pits a woman who is the epitome of glamour (played by Haruko Wanibuchi) against a clever murderer during a holiday stay at a strange ghostly mansion. Seven young women, who have chosen as nicknames the brand names of much-advertised consumer products, begin to disappear in a decidedly suspicious manner. Are they fashion victims? How else can one explain the eerie coordination between their pastel outfits and the pastels of the rooms in which they appear? It is up to the heroine -- whose every screen appearance is heralded by special lighting, gentle breezes, and a soft camera focus -- to find out what is going on."

Obayashi pulls out the stops with every imaginable mode of special effects ranging from superimposition to stop motion, this film is like nothing you've ever seen.  The film at times is full on campy slapstick to hilarious soundtrack, as well as scenes of deranged depravity and horrifying imagery (though this film retains its sense of humor throughout). Highlights include a girl being eaten alive by a piano; a fast forward slapstick kung fu battle; this film is a pajama party of delirious, experimental insanity and gory fun that will most likely leave you questioning your own sanity. Take my advice, this one is not to be missed. ^_^

 

The Three Mothers

The idea of "Three Mothers" comes from "Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow", a section of Thomas de Quincey's Suspiria de Profundis. The piece asserts that just as there are three Fates and Graces, there are also three Sorrows. They include Mater Lacrymarum (Our Lady of Tears), Mater Suspiriorum (Our Lady of Sighs), and Mater Tenebrarum (Our Lady of Darkness). The attribute of each woman (tears, sighs, shadows/darkness) is a direct translation of her name from Latin. (Mater being the Latin word for "mother".)

 

Suspiria clearly derives its title from the woman delineated in de Quincey's work. However, Inferno's title does not reference Mater Tenebrarum. Thus, Argento's 1982 film Tenebrae is sometimes mistaken as the second installment in the trilogy.

The story of the Three Mothers begins at the dawn of the 11th century, when three sisters created the pernicious art of witchcraft on the coast of the Black Sea. In the years that followed, they wandered the world and amassed great personal wealth and power, leaving only death in their wake.

 

In the late 19th century the women commissioned E. Varelli, an Italian architect based in London, to design and construct three stately buildings. From these enchanted, bastion-like homes the Three Mothers "rule the world". According to Varelli's memoirs, entitled The Three Mothers by an anonymous colleague, the architect learned too late of the women's evil nature. (At least six copies of the book are known to have existed. Four may have been destroyed at the end of Inferno.) The residences he designed will become so corrupted that eventually the land they were built on will become pestilential. An unpleasant, bittersweet smell of evil already pervades the area surrounding Mater Tenebrarum's home.

Both Mater Suspiriorum and Tenebrarum have claimed that the Mothers are Death personified.

  

Mater Suspiriorum, the Mother of Sighs, is the oldest of the Three Mothers. Her given name is Helena Markos. She was also known as The Black Queen. The actress who portrayed Markos in Suspiria was uncredited. According to Jessica Harper, "the witch was a ninety-year-old ex-hooker Dario had found on the streets of Rome."

Markos, a Greek émigré, was exiled from many European countries and had written several books on a variety of arcane subjects. In 1895 she founded the Tanz Akademie ("Dance Academy" in German), a school for dance and the occult sciences, in the Black Forest outside Freiburg, Germany. The locals feared her, having intuited that she was a witch. As Markos' wealth grew so did suspicions about her true nature. To avert this unwanted scrutiny, she faked her own death in a fire in 1905. Control of the academy, which became solely a ballet school, was said to have gone to Markos' prize pupil. In reality, this was Markos herself. (The Akademie bears a plaque stating that Desiderius Erasmus once lived there.)

In Suspiria Markos is the Directress whose presence is concealed by her coven, headed by Madame Blanc (Joan Bennett). A young American, Suzy Banyon (Jessica Harper), discovers the hidden chambers beneath the school after several pupils are killed by Markos' proxies.

In The Mother of Tears it is revealed that before the events of Suspiria Elisa Mandy (Daria Nicolodi), a white witch, sought to challenge Markos' evil might. The two battled in Freiburg, and Markos slew both Elisa and her husband. However, Elisa was able to weaken Suspiriorum into the hag-like state she appeared in Suspiria. According to Father Johannes (Udo Kier) in the third film, the battle left Suspiriorum "a shell of her former self". Elisa's daughter Sarah would later defeat Mater Lacrimarum in Rome.

Mater Lachrimarum, the Mother of Tears, is the most beautiful and powerful of the Three Mothers. Like Tenebrarum, her true name is unknown. Inferno suggest that her home in Rome, Italy may be located near No. 49 Via Dei Bagni - the Abertny Foundation's Biblioteca Filosofica - when Sara (Eleonora Giorgi) notices a strange smell in the air. In The Mother of Tears Lachrimarum's home is revealed to be the Palazzo Varelli.

In Inferno Lacrimarum attempted to spellbind Mark Elliot during a music lecture in Rome. According to Argento, Ania Pieroni did not return to reprise her role as Lacrimarum in The Mother of Tears because "she now has five kids!"

Lacrimarum is portrayed by Israeli actress Moran Atias in The Mother of Tears. The witch has been hibernating for centuries in Rome, and is awakened when Sarah Mandy (Asia Argento) opens the urn in which her most powerful relic, a red tunic, is stored. As her minions wreak havoc on the city above, Lacrimarum hides below ground in the catacombs of her Palazzo, regaining her strength.

Mater Lacrimarum also makes a notable appearance in Kim Newman's novel Dracula Cha Cha (aka Judgement of Tears)

Mater Tenebrarum, the Mother of Darkness/Shadows, is the youngest and most cruel of the Three Mothers. Her true name is not given; her home is located in New York City and was christened in 1910. The house's number is 49 and bears a plaque that states that Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff once resided there.

 

In Inferno the character is portrayed by Veronica Lazar. She masquerades as Professor Arnold's nurse for much of the film. At the climax, Mark Elliot (Leigh McCloskey) descends into the bowels of her home to confront her. He learns that Arnold is in fact the architect Varelli, and essentially Tenebrarum's slave. Tenebrarum's bloodlust would ultimately be her own undoing, as one of her victims, a maid, was inadvertently responsible for the house catching fire in the midst of her death throes.

Words and images via Werewolf

Spreepark

Shifting gear from the literary adaptations that made his name, Joe Wright’s latest feature is Hanna, the story of a teenage girl raised in the wilds of Finland as a fighter and assassin. The film makes striking use of its locations, with script rewrites organised around the places they found.

We first meet the 16-year-old Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) in the frozen wilderness of Kuusamo in northernFinland. The script was altered slightly to accommodate the snowy landscapes on offer in the region and the production spent five days filming scenes designed to reveal Hanna’s forest upbringing.

Maija Laine, with the North Finland Film Commission, said: “Kuusamo is located right at the Russian border and is one of the most snow-secure places in Finland. Kuusamo also has one of the biggest ski resorts in Finland – Ruka – which was the place where the crew was accommodated. All the locations were no more than 30 minutes from the hotels, which made Kuusamo logistically a great location.”

Kuusamo is located right at the Russian border and is one of the most snow-secure places in Finland. Kuusamo also has one of the biggest ski resorts in Finland – Ruka – which was the place where the crew was accommodated. All the locations were no more than 30 minutes from the hotels.

Maija Laine, North Finland Film Commission

Hanna was the biggest film production that Finland has ever seen and the local industry had to make some adjustments to deal with the scale of the operation, but the challenge was met.

Aleksi Bardy, Managing Director of Helsinki Filmi, which serviced the shoot in Finland, commented: “It is not exactly a [massive] industry in Finland but the locals do have some experience. Landscapes are just like Lapland, but a bit more accessible. The timeframe was very, very narrow from go-ahead to shoot. Getting things done with only a few weeks’ notice was an issue.

“We lack the culture of caravans for actors, so arranging these proved to be difficult. People and businesses in the Kuusamo area did a great job adjusting to schedules, working long hours and seven days a week to make everything happened in time.”

Hessu Tönkyrä, one of the film’s Location Managers, remarks on the climate issue: “Cold winter weather was the main challenge. Temperatures could be as low as -37 degrees Celsius and the amount of snow presented a challenge of its own.”

Wright was keen to use real snow, which was what brought on the Finland leg of the shoot. Scenes set outside the forest cabin that Hanna shares with her father Erik (Eric Bana) were filmed in Bavaria and had to be shot quickly as springtime approached.

Markus Bensch, production executive in charge of locations at the film’s production partner Studio Babelsberg, said: “The hut scenes were filmed in Bavaria around 3,000 feet above sea level. Finally we had to add about 16 tons of artificial snow to the set as we were facing the results of the climate change. As we saw the snow melting we decided to do the wider shots in Finland instead of using CGI shots in Bavaria. The North Finland Film Commission was of great help to find exactly what Joe wanted and to match the Bavarian location.”

From Finland the story switches to Morocco and the desert landscapes of Ouarzazate in the south-central part of the country. As with the winter wilds of Finland, the desert makes a huge impact on screen, with minimal changes made to the filming locations. Around 200 local crew members were employed through Marrakech-based servicing company Zak Productions.

After having seen the Spreepark, [an original] museum meeting [sequence] got a major rewrite mainly for the reason that no scriptwriter could imagine a place like that in the middle of Berlin and no producer would agree to build such a place – good for us it just stood there!

Markus Bensch, Babelsberg Studios

A highway and a campsite in Essaouira west of Marrakech were used to double for Spain. The heat ofdesert filming proved a challenge, as did getting the equipment to the more remote locations, but otherwise there were no problems.

Adam Richards, the film’s Location Supervisor, said: “In Essaouira we used the port as it was and also filmed the Spanish gypsy camp here. We had to get special permission to film in front of the mosque and to graffiti the walls of nearby dwellings. On the highway scene in Marrakech we added the bull sign on the side of the road.”

Much of the drama also takes place in Germany. Here Wright initially put aside the script and gave the locations department lots of freedom to identify places they thought would simply look good on-screen.

The search resulted in the distinctive BerlinVelodrome, which ended up being used as the film’s CIA headquarters. They also decided to use the Spreepark, an abandoned amusement park in northern Berlin used in the film’s finale, which impressed to such an extent that the script’s ending was rewritten.

Bensch commented: “After having seen the Spreepark, [an original] museum meeting [sequence] got a major rewrite mainly for the reason that no scriptwriter could imagine a place like that in the middle of Berlin and no producer would agree to build such a place – good for us it just stood there!”

Two months of negotiations were needed to secure the Spreepark for filming. This was because property ownership on the site itself is split between several individuals and organisations, including the City of Berlin itself. It was worth it though – the sequence is among the most eye-catching in recent cinema.

Bensch concludes: “I’ve been in the location business here in Berlin for 20 years now. I always wanted to show the Spreepark to a wider audience, but somehow the right project never came along…”
Source

Here are some pictures of Spreepark in Berlin, Germany as it is today, 

Spreepark is an old abandoned amusement park initially run by East Berlin and opened in 1969. After ownership changes the park failed and now apparently carries more than ten million Euros in debt. The park is full of abandoned rides and broken windows and during winter is mostly buried in snow. I

f you have not seen Hanna yet, it is a must see!! 

Spreepark im Winter: