The Lady And The Reaper Wraps 2010

Earlier this year, at the Academy Awards, Spanish director Javier Recio Gracia with Kandor Moon surprised many people by becoming a definitive Oscar contender. It was the first time Spain had ever entered a stylishly engaging short film, The Lady And The Reaper.

Although the short didn't win an Oscar, the nomination demonstrated just how far Spanish animation had come. It also demonstrated how far Gracia had some since entering the industry only five years ago.

He now works with DreamWorks Animation. He was hired in July, shortly after finishing work as a storyboarder and character designer for Goleor: The Scale And The Sword, which was also produced by Kandor Graphics.

A Bit About The Lady And The Reaper.

If you haven't seen the animated short, a story inspired after Gracia spent time with his grandmother, it's well worth the eight-minute run time. The Lady And The Reaper is the story of an old woman who lives alone on a farm, missing her husband and longing for the end of her life. Once that day comes, she even holds out her hand for the reaper to carry her away.

Except, sometimes death, much like life, isn't so easy. The old woman is ripped away from the reaper at the last possible minute, being "saved" by an infamous doctor already renown for keeping the woman alive well past her prime.

After the initial resurrection, a battle between the doctor and reaper breaks out, with the life and death of the woman hanging in the balance. While most reviewers cast the doctor as being smug, I don't see it as arrogance as much as confidence. Similar battles play out all over the world, every second of every day.

For every moment of familiarity, there is something uniquely original.

The story invests a significant amount of time on a climatic three-minute chase scene reminiscent of classic Looney Tunes, of which Gracia has said he was paying homage. So there are times the treatment feels almost cliche, especially as the doctor, nurses, and reaper play a game of hide and seek among an infinite collection of file cabinets. And again, running up and down hills and stairs and crashing down one like a giant snowball. Amazingly though, these classic prats still seem to work here.


Many Americans have called the film darkly comic or dark humor. It seems more fitting to call it a comedic treatment of death. Recognizing this will give you all the more appreciation of what Gracia is trying to accomplish. Death doesn't always have to be foreboding. It can be a welcomed journey as well.

Incidentally, one of the most humorous aspects of Gracia's work comes after the credits start to roll. The reaper, temporarily beaten, heads home after a long day of hard work. Gracia has him arriving by boat across the river Styx and being greeted by his three-headed poodle Cerberus. After docking, he casually uses a remote to lock it up with a familiar "beep-beep."

The Lady And The Reaper Is A Cut Above With 6.4 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

There is something special about this short animated film, originally shown in 3-D. And it also seems an especially fitting way to end 2010. Everything, sooner or later, needs to be let go, 2010 included. Happy New Year!

The Lady And The Reaper is available in standard and high definition on iTunes. You can also visit The Lady And The Reaper site and production blog, which occasionally updates 3-D showings and includes the complete credit list of everyone involved.

Homeless Youth Become A Holiday Focus

"In this cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little girl, bareheaded, and with naked feet. When she left home she had slippers on, it is true; but what was the good of that?" — Hans Christian Andersen

The story of the Little Match Girl has warmed hearts and chilled souls for more than 150 years. Published in 1846, the story conveys the perseverance of a little girl, with her oversized slippers lost, attempting to sell matches in the street. The story has been recast several times, including The Little Matchgirl by Disney and Pixar (below).

Although the girl is not homeless, the story often inspires people to imagine poor or homeless children and take action within their own neighborhoods, towns, and cities. They exist. One recent study estimates as many as 1.6 million children are homeless in the United States; 100 million in the world. Many of their stories end the same way as the short.


One national program that aids homeless youth is StandUp For Kids, a nonprofit organization operating in 27 states. It provides localized outreach programs that train and coordinate volunteers who go into the streets in order to find, stabilize, and help homeless kids.

How Switchfoot Helps StandUp For Kids Every Year.

One of its many partners includes the San Diego-based rock band Switchfoot. Last May, Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), and Drew Shirley (guitar, backing vocals) posted a unique auction on Bidfire, with the winner receiving the chance to record a song with the band.

The song (recorded in June) appeared on iTunes and MySpace. The auction coincided with the Bro-Am in San Diego, which also benefits San Diego-area chapters of StandUp for Kids. The event, which combines a surf contest and beach concert, raised more than $100,000.


After the winner of the contest, Ruddy Gracia, recorded a song with Switchfoot in June, it appeared on a special iTunes session released in August. You can find Your Love Is A Song on the last track track of the Switchfoot iTunes Sessions.

In addition to street outreach, StandUp for Kids also operates a number of deterrence and resource programs online and at schools. More importantly, all facets of its mission are guided by a mandate that its volunteers express concern and compassion for the kids they help, and then prove it on a daily basis. There are hundreds of testimonials that say they do.

"StandUp For Kids is the only organization that treated me like I was a human," said Brian Haslip, one homeless youth who received help. "Thank you Rick and StandUp ... without you, I wouldn't be here."

StandUp For Kids Is A Liquid Hip Good Will Pick.

At least once a month, Liquid [Hip] highlights good will efforts undertaken by courageous people with big hearts. We don’t score them. That belongs to you.

If you would like to help, donate direct to the nonprofit StandUp for Kids on its website through PayPal. More than 94 percent of all funds raised directly benefit homeless and street kids across the United States.

Spinal Tap Heads To The Magic Place: Stonehenge

Certainly, in the topsy-turvy world of heavy rock, having a good solid piece of wood in your hand is often useful. — Ian Faith

There are more memorable lines from This Is Spinal Tap that is someone tied to catalog them all, they would find themselves with a complete transcript. So it didn't take much more than a second thought to download Stonehenge: Tis A Magic Place featuring Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer).

With a short run just under eight minutes, you might as well be warned that the short will leave you wanting more just like the original film. Released in August 2009, it doesn't seem likely anyone will see the band back yet again. But fans can hope.

A Quick Primer For Spinal Tap Newbies.

Spinal Tap is a stylistic parody of a 1980s rock band filmed and directed by the fictional Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner). Except, documentaries don't always go as planned. For Spinal Tap, most concerts are cancelled; the cover art is scrapped for being sexist; and in staging a "Stonehenge" megalith, a mistake is made, producing a stage prop only 18 inches high.

After a shaky start in theaters, the film captured a cult following that caught the attention of critics and the genre it parodied. Pete Townshend's 1985 White City: A Novel album included a quote from the movie; Metallica's black album was inspired by the film; and Aerosmith's Rock in a Hard Place prominently depict's Stonehenge. In 2002, the little film that could was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress. Here is an outtake from the original.



A Few Notes About Stonehenge: Tis A Magic Place.

It's hard to say whether someone who hasn't seen Spinal Tap will find this short funny. Regardless, it is a great 25-year anniversary gift for anyone who grew up with Spinal Tap. It's also amazing to think the short hasn't made it onto the Wikipedia page given the original release's proximity to the 25th anniversary campaign launched around the same time.

Stonehenge: Tis A Magic Place opens with Nigel Tufnel and David St. Hubbins arriving in a shuttle bus to pick up Derek Smalls. The scene helps set up exactly why the characters were so enduring.

Tufnel: "Well, he's always inside fighting with the missus."

Hubbins: "He's an angry little man."

Tufnel: "And so is she."

The short then follows Spinal Tap on their journey to see the "real" Stonehenge. During the ride, they offer up their theories about Stonehenge, including that is was the first amplification system or a scale model of apartment buildings for Druids. Hubbins concludes that is what makes Stonehenge great.

Even if you have read scientific journals, it can be anything you want. When they finally do arrive at their destination, Spinal Tap discovers that Legoland has been built up around the sacred site. While confused, they immediate benefit from the convenience of taking a little Lego train to Stonehenge.

Stonehenge: Tis A Magic Place Rocks An 8.9 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

You won't find Stonehenge: Tis A Magic Place anywhere or everywhere. It was exclusively it on iTunes and not currently available. However, you can still find black album and Back From The Dead album.

Stonehenge! 'Tis a magic place … Where the moon doth rise with a dragon's face … Stonehenge! Where the virgins lie … And the prayers of devils fill the midnight sky.