RANDOM BUT WONDERFUL

As if you needed another reason to love either A) Sir David Attenborough or B) Adele's gorgeous new single, Hello, this video will have you smiling in no time. Totally random, but sure to make you happy on this otherwise boring Monday.

Hope you had a great weekend!

SCOTLAND: A LAND OF GREAT AND MYSTERIOUS BEAUTY

I haven't had a chance to process my photos or videos from our trip thus far—hard to believe we are almost halfway done!—but I can say we have some great adventures and, despite some unseasonably cool and cloudy weather, have basked in the great and vast landscape that is Scotland. We spent several days in the Scottish Highlands this week and truly enjoyed its splendor. I think this short film by Josh Brine on Vimeo captures much of the magic here; I hope you like it!

(Thanks to swissmiss for the conveniently timed tip!)

AN IDEA FOR FATHER'S DAY: LEGACYBOX

For years my Mom and I have been racking our brains about what to get my Dad on holidays, birthdays and other gift giving occasions. Boys are so hard to shop for, we say to one another. A book, a shirt, a cd? Once you have covered the standards I find it hard to come up with something original, particularly at a time in my family's life when everyone is conscious of trying to live a more clutter-free life.So I was intrigued to stumble across LegacyBox recently. It's a full-service scanning business that takes all your family media—everything from 18mm films to slides—and digitally scans them, sending them back to you as DVDs. The prices look fairly reasonable (anywhere from $75 to $500, depending on the number of items scanned) and will definitely provide the closest thing out there to a trip back in time. I am putting this on the gift idea, for sure!Learn more about LegacyBox here.

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

 I am still working furiously to meet a dissertation deadline (which may or may not have passed two weeks ago, ha!) and finish up some archival research here in D.C. But I wanted to take a quick moment to share this beautiful video BOUNCE in honor today's opening of the 2014 World Cup. You know I have a soft spot for when sports meets design, and thus I couldn't wait to share this gorgeously shot, uplifting little film with you. Made by French filmmaker Guillaume Blanchet, it was filmed during two years' worth of Blanchet's international travels and has already been nominated for a ton of awards.


Sports can divide us, unite us, throw us in a pit of despair (holler, Prince Bride reference!) or elevate us to the joyous heights of victory. I am sure we will see all that and more on tap for the World Cup and I can't wait! But for now, back to writing!

p.s. Go Team USA!

p.p.s. Fingers crossed this dang chapter will be done by the weekend I will see you back here with regular posts on Monday. Wish me luck!

FEDERICO BABINA ROCKS

I just stumbled across the design work and illustration of artist Federico Babina. He has created several different poster series (on sale in his shop here), but my favorites are his "Archicine" works—posters featuring bold renderings of iconic buildings from classic movies—and his "Archist" works—posters that transform buildings into stylistic embodiments of the work of famous artists.

The Warhol and Fontana posters are my favorite (so dead on!). What are yours?See more on his website here.
p.s. Like colorful minimalist posters? So do I! Exhibit A, B, C, D, E, F, G . . . the list could go on and on. Go exploring in the archives (search box at right) and I guarantee you will find something fun. :) 
(thanks to Feel Desain and Dezeen for the tips)  

THE EDITOR: A BEAUTIFUL FILM

I love me a beautiful, graphically designed video (like this one!). This lovely little clip illustrates all the amazing, complicated work done by truly gifted editors to make each film seamlessly soar through our imaginations. Made by the brilliant team at insidetheedit.com (a website devoted to teaching the art of editing), it is surely worth a quick two minute viewing.

Learn more about Inside the Edit on their website here.
(And thanks to A Pair of Pears for the tip!)

WES ANDERSON IS OCD

Have you seen the new Wes Anderson movie 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'? I love, love, loved Moonrise Kingdom and the trailer for this new film looked enchanting too.

(By the way I have a new theory about the luscious 'look' of Anderson movies and why art nerds like me adore them: every second looks like it has gone through a perfect instagram filter! Basically my dream world!)

A couple of weeks ago I went to see Grand Budapest and really enjoyed it. The sets were gorgeous (that pink box scene!) and there were lots of perfect moments of dry Anderson wit thrown in there too. So, when I got home after the movie, I decided to do some research on the movie and was surprised to see just how many people are talking about Anderson these days.

Basically, everyone thinks he's an obsessive compulsive mad genius dictator, they just won't come out and say it.

Why? Let me break it down . . .

VIDEO PLAYLIST: MUSICAL INSPIRATION

In case you feel like procrastinating from work today, here are a few fun videos that I have come across that I have been dying to share. So, without further ado, lets surf the interwebs and hit up the YouTubes!



Have you been watching Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show? My goodness, he is hilarious. I love this segment, but also highly recommend watching Paul Rudd lip sync Tina Turner, and Jimmy play charades with Bradley Cooper, Emma Thomson (she's amazing!), and Tim McGraw (part one and part two).




I am obsessed with Pentatonix (evidence here) and their version of my new favorite song is gorgeous.





Also, how incredible does this documentary look? Several friends have recommended it and I can't wait to watch it myself. Bonus: iTunes rental is only $0.99!

THE ARTIST SPEAKS

Have you visited the O.I. in the last week? Well you may have noticed some technical difficulties. It turns out my account was pseudo-hacked and my domain name (www.theobsessiveimagist.com) was temporarily disabled. What a pain! But thanks to some savvy advice from a Google-wise friend and some technical wizardry all is back to normal! I appreciate your patience. It's been a crazy time here at O.I. HQ, as I just finished my doctoral exams (I can now officially call myself a PhD! Only my dissertation left to go!), quit my job and am trying desperately to get my apartment back in order. Lots of change but also lots to be excited about.

Anyway, my computer troubles reminded me of the great quote above by the graphic design genius Saul Bass (whom I have written about before here and here). And, in turn, reminded me of the amazing Google Doodle from May 8: a tribute to what would have been Saul Bass's 93rd birthday. Google Doodles always strike me as pretty clever—wouldn't that be an amazing job to design those?—but this one really captured the bold, graphic forward-thinking designs created by Bass.

Don't you agree? See all the whole impressive archive of Google Doodles here and learn more about Saul Bass's beautiful work here.

And thanks again for bearing with me! I've got some fun things planned for this summer so I can promise it will be worth it.  :)

p.s. Still don't get my obsession with Saul Bass? Check out this video; it's a simple, clear introduction to the ongoing influence of his work.

OSCARS RECAP 2013

Did you guys watch the Oscars last night? I had a ton of homework to do, but I decided to take a break and see how well Seth MacFarlane fared as a host. He was a little raunchy at times (as can be expected for the creator of Family Guy), but overall very very funny. I particularly loved the intro gag with William Shatner; it was smart and clever without being too dry or silly.

I was also impressed by the fashion on view . . . I'm totally in love with Jennifer Lawrence's dress (even though she fell walking up the stairs! clearly not a practical frock) and thought Amy Adams looked ravishing as usual. Did you have any favorites?

Read a complete recap and see more red carpet shots here. Watch key video clips here.

MUST SEE: MOONRISE KINGDOM

How was your weekend? I spent mine being both lazy (reading, dozing, hanging out with some friends) and being hyper productive (cleaning, prepping for the wedding, organizing). But my hands down favorite part of the weekend was an impromptu date with my fiancé on Friday where we went, on a whim, to see Wes Anderson's latest movie Moonrise Kingdom.




It was amazing. Seriously, the best, most heartfelt and artfully crafted movie I have seen in a long, long time. This clip of the adorable narrator, played by actor Bob Balaban, was Anderson's fabulous way of setting the scene of this vintage-inspired but altogether fanciful movie. The color palette, the costumes,  and the props (oh the props! swoon!) are just beautiful.




Here, for example, is one of my favorite moments in the movie. It wouldn't be a Wes Anderson movie without Jason Schwartzman and he totally delivered in his cameo role.

Moral of the story: go see this movie! It's a delight!

GARY HUSTWIT DOES IT AGAIN

Not sure how I missed it, but the wonderful and talented Gary Hustwit (who I have written about here and here), has released a new documentary. Called Urbanized, it is about the design of cities and what makes them grow and shrink. Apparently by 2050 75% of the world's population will live in a city and Hustwit's film looks at the inventive ways in which numerous people affect global urban design. Pretty cool, right?







You can rent the movie on iTunes here, from Amazon here or buy a three disk set (with his previous movies Helvetica and Objectified included) here.

TAKE FLIGHT

Can something be captivatingly cool and terrifying at the same time? I think this video proves that they can! Being a huge fan of Man on a Wire, I definitely planning on seeing I Believe I Can Fly (Flight of the Frenchies), if only to see them film amongst stunning scenery.




Find out more about this new documentary, directed by Seb Montaz here.


(thanks to Black*Eiffel for the tip)

HERB & DOROTHY 50 X 50

I have had the darling movie Herb & Dorothy in my Netflix queue for a while now. Now the director, Megumi Sasaki, is raising money to film a sequel which will track Herb & Dorothy's amazing new project: to donate 50 works each to 50 museums in America—one from each state— from their enormous collection.  How cool is that story?


Help Sasaki jumpstart her funding by donating to her Kickstarter project here.

THE INCEPTION OF INSTAGRAM

How gorgeous are these graphics?  Stunning, right? They were created by Dan Kenneally and Liz Gershman as part of a really great article for 1000Memories (a cool website where you can store and share all your old family photos). The article explores the inspiration behind the ever-present iPhone application Instagram—where you can apply one of a dozen fabulous filters to make your digital shot look like it was taken with cool vintage film—and traces the various types of film and cameras used to get 'the look'.  It makes me want to go out and try them all!


Read and see more here.

THE MILL AND THE CROSS

What would it be like to step inside a great work of art, have it come alive around you, and even observe the artist as he sketches the very reality you are experiencing? Lech Majewski brings to life Pieter Bruegel’s masterpiece The Way to Calvary, the story of the crucifixion, setting it in 16th century Flanders under brutal Spanish occupation. Rutger Hauer plays the artist, Michael York his patron, and Charlotte Rampling the Virgin Mary. As epic events unfold, bawdy country living continues unabated: couples entwine, musicians play wind instruments, soldiers torment their enemies mercilessly, and children scurry about. Using sophisticated computer technology, the filmmaker creates a brilliantly complex and fascinating multi-layered dreamscape that melds iconic moments in art, history, and religion with the quotidian lives of ordinary people.

I can only imagine that a film this beautifully considered would be as fascinating as it is transfixing. It is playing at the Film Forum here in New York City. Learn more and get your tickets here!

THE MOVIE TITLE STILLS COLLECTION

I have been wanting to post about the Movie Title Stills Collection for a while now and when I was scrolling through the Saul Bass examples this morning I knew I couldn't hold back. I mean, really, the man was a master!

But the stills collection has much, much more than just Saul Bass design—enough to keep any graphic design lover chock full of inspiration for days! Check it all out here.

(And if you want to see some of Saul's title sequences in action, head over here.)

THE OBJECT OF MY EYE

As you know, I am a big fan of Gary Huswit's documentary work, and I can say that his latest movie--"Objectified"--lives up to his standard of intellectual inquiry. I watched "Objectified" on Instant Netflix yesterday (but you can also buy/rent it through iTunes here) and was fascinated by the interviews with some of the world's top minds: designers, design curators and design historians. Just like 'Helvetica' this new film considers the complexity behind simple products, forcing the viewer to question why we are drawn to certain objects and the way functionality affects our relationship with the things of everyday. Along these lines one of my favorite interviews was with the designers at OXO, who talked about their redesign of the simple vegetable peeler to make it easier to hold. Brilliant!

Get more information about Gary Hustwit and 'Objectified' here and here.

VALIDATION FOR MONDAY

T. J. Thyne already makes me happy as Hodgins on Bones.  Now he is making me happy in this adorable short film.  It is well worth the 15 minute duration and is guaranteed to leave you feeling better about the world. Hopefully it makes your Monday a little bit better!