Like its lauded predecessor Back To The Start, Chipotle’s new ambitious short–The Scarecrow, out of CAA Marketing–features an ecological message, an accomplished vocalist’s cover of a well-known song (Fiona Apple crooning “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) and eloquent animation.
The latter is compliments of Moonbot Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana, winner of a Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 2012 for The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Music supervision on The Scarecrow was handled by duotone audio group.
The Scarecrow pits crows against crows, except this time the latter are the scary ones. The robotic crows operate the Crow Foods factory which churns out processed foods. The factory’s workers are scarecrows who have lost their jobs on the farm. In the bleak factory, cows and chickens are pumped full of hormones. One scarecrow, though, ultimately breaks out and forms his own restaurant where he serves all natural food.
While several of the same dynamics in The Scarecrow carry over from Back To The Start, the major new wrinkle in this latest initiative is an interactive game designed to further engage audiences. Players can rescue animals and bring them to open pastures while also bringing wholesome foods to residents of a city called Plenty.
Here’s The Scarecrow short:
Bill Condon, Jennifer Lopez Unveil “Kiss of the Spider Woman” At Sundance
A lavish, MGM-style musical is not typical Sundance Film Festival fare. But Sunday night Bill Condon brought such a creation—well, part of one—to Park City, Utah, with his adaptation of "Kiss of the Spider Woman," starring Jennifer Lopez.
Audiences broke out in spontaneous applause during the screening for Lopez's song and dance numbers. She plays an old Hollywood screen siren in a movie-within-the movie. The packed Eccles Theater also gave Lopez, wearing a glittery spiderweb themed frock, a standing ovation after the show.
"I've been waiting for this moment my whole life," Lopez said.
The story, which revolves around the conversations between two cellmates in an Argentine prison, was first a novel by Manuel Puig in 1976 and has been adapted for stage and screen over the years. A 1985 film adaptation starred William Hurt and Raul Julia. Hurt won an Oscar for his performance. On Broadway, it won multiple Tony Awards.
Condon wrote and directed this new version, which is seeking a distributor. Diego Luna plays an imprisoned revolutionary Valentin Arregui, whose new cellmate Luis Molina (Tonatiuh) loves movies, celebrity and glamour and enthusiastically recounts the story of a favorite movie musical, called "Kiss of the Spider Woman" to Valentin, giving them and the audience a break from their bleak reality.
While the film has memorable moments of escapist spectacle, it also delves into serious topics of gender identity. Molina tells Valentin that they don't feel like a man or a woman—which Valentin finds odd at first but grows to understand.
Before the screening, Condon said that one of the things the movie is about is "the attempt to bridge the incredible differences that separate us so often." He quoted President... Read More