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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

SOMNAMBULATING WITH COMMON HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES

THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION WILL HIT ON MY TWITTER THIS FRIDAY, 15 JULY, AT 1PM PDT (4PM EDT).

After a week off to rest its weary head, Summer Movie Cave is back.  There might be some of you that find this week's contest a step back from previous offerings - and that's OK.  Allow me to say, however, that if you are in this "some of you" group, you're a dickface.

Because I might be giving away just three two-film DVD packs this week, but these are no mere DVDs.

First up, in honor of my niece's (the original Summer Movie Cave catalyst herself) last week in the humble LaTulippe abode, I'm giving away a cartoon.  No, not PONYO - I don't hate you guys.  But rather, one of my favorite animated features when I was a kid: THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER.


This shit is adorable, especially the blanket.  Part of this is fuzzy, safe kid's cartoon.  But a bigger part of this is a dark, often scary parable about not only what it means to grow up, but to be left behind.  When I was a kid, there were few things more frightening...and I latched onto this movie like a swamp leech.  I remember specifically the day I recorded this off the Disney channel, and I can remember very clearly the day several years later when we had to retire the VHS tape, as I'd abused it like a stepchild.  Now, as an adult, it's been fun to watch my niece - much younger than I was when I first saw it - not only have fun with the colors and the sounds but to watch her put on the Serious Face when she seems to know, instinctively, that these little animated inanimate characters are in peril.

Animation in general can be too cutesy at times, too on the nose, and can shamelessly go for the lowest common denominator without ever actually becoming entertaining.  It can be "kids' stuff".  But the BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER is well above that level, and if you've never seen it, you're going to thank me.  If you win this week.  Which you probably won't.  But still.

The second film in this two pack is one of my all-time favorites - THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI.


Immediately you might be thinking, "What the fuck, man?  You're teaming up a kids' movie with a surreal, creepy-ass German Expressionist film?  You're awesome.  What's wrong with you?"  And here's the deal:

There's no significance, no connection, no greater theme.  It just so happened that Kino put out an awesome DVD of the film and the shipments of it and BLT toaster showed up at the same time, and I figured what the hell.

I hope you don't know of and hopefully have never even heard of CALIGARI, because I went in with no expectations and it totally blew me away ten or so years ago.  Parts of it still creep me the hell out, and to this day I'm terribly afraid of the concept of sleepwalking thanks to Conrad Veidt's Cesare.

Next week the Summer Movie Cave will be taking another quick hiatus as I must go be present in and then ruin my Cousin Justin's wedding, but we'll (and by we, I mean there's fucking one of me here) be back with a vengeance the week after, and the rest of the stuff you'll have a shot at this Summer is just going to kick ass.