Month: September 2007
Mish’s Movies: Ratatouille
Ratatouille (helpfully spelled out phonetically on the movie posters, reminding us that yes, this movie is theoretically aimed at the under 10 crowd) follows the story of misfit French rat Remy, whose aspirations of becoming a chef are held back by his unsympathetic, garbage eating family. Destiny intervenes when a freak accident involving a shotgun toting grandmother and the Parisian sewer system lands Remy in the kitchen of his idol, the late Chef Auguste Gusteau. There, he teams up with the inexperienced “Linguiniâ€, a garbage boy with similar dreams of chef-dom. The rest is director Brad Bird’s usual blend of sly wit, slapstick timing, and beautiful rendering. Beautiful rendering. I won’t subject you to the depths of my animation geekery here, but I will say that this is one of the most gorgeously animated films I’ve seen in awhile.
What impressed me the most about this movie was the depth to which Bird was willing to layer the story. The black and white messages usually crammed onto every inch of screen time were notably greyer, and as a result what should have been a simple animated feature held a note of realism I’d be gratified to see in mainstream non-animated films. Despite a humbler story-line than his previous films (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant, and the wreck that was Cars) Bird retains a sense of pathos that comes across perfectly and sets Ratatouille apart from any other animated film produced this year.
I also have to throw out a nod to Pixar’s traditional pre- and post-film animation sequences. The short at the beginning, “Liftedâ€, is worth the price of admission alone. Fortunately, you won’t have to pay it: youtube.com/watch?v=Qs3FfayHBM8 Watch that, then keep in mind the following 105 minutes only get better from there.
(webeditors note – this URL returns ” This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by PIXAR” but you can do a search on youtube for ‘Lifted’ and possibly find one they haven’t yanked yet).
McGregor moves to Campus West
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Since 8 a.m. today moving trucks have been pulling up to Livermore Street and parking on all sides of Sontag Fels Hall. Movers are bustling in and out of the building, carrying cardboard boxes and office appliances. Three weeks before the beginning of their September Term, McGregor is moving to Campus West. Over the next four days, the University will be transferred to the new 94 000 square feet building on the edge of Yellow Springs.
McGregor University President Barbara Danley declared that she expected very minimal disruption in the activities of the University; “The building is already wireless, and we have a commitment to respond to our learners to the best of our capacity,†she said in an interview this morning. She confirmed that the IT department would be moved to the new campus but assured that service would continue to be provided to the college. She further dismissed the rumor that the building would be shared by franchised businesses: “We have committed ourselves to doing no harm to the Yellow Springs businessesâ€, she explained, “but we need to have a service providing quick food—not fast food—to our learnersâ€. Danley reported having contacted local businesses such as Current Cuisine and Young’s Dairy to cater to the University.
Lynda Sirk new head of Development and Alumni Relations
Lynda Sirk, former head of communications and Public relations for Antioch College was appointed the new head of Development and Alumni affairs, according to a press statement released by the University yesterday.
Sirk’s appointment was announced after much commotion on campus on Friday when the staff of both the Development Office and Alumni Relations office, including then head of Development Risa Grimes, were locked out of their office on Friday afternoon. “We were told to leave and we don’t have access to our first class accounts anymore, that’s all I can tell right now,†said Aimee Maruyama, head of Alumni Relations for the college in a phone interview Yesterday. Several officers had an automated out of office reply on their email boxes saying their office was closed for a long weekend and they would not be responding to their email until Tuesday. Continue reading Lynda Sirk new head of Development and Alumni Relations
Murdock announces Lawry stepping down effective immediately
In a press release dated today, August 31 University Chancellor Toni Murdock announces “Today Antioch College President Steven W. Lawry is stepping down from the presidency effective immediately.â€
Dean of faculty Andrzej Bloch is said to step in as chief operating officer, though no mention to him is made in the early afternoon press release. When approached for comment at his house this afternoon Steve Lawry said he was not allowed to talk at this point. He did confirm he no longer had access to his First Class account. Rumors about the development office being gutted were not confirmed. “For what we’ve heard the development office will receive more funding,†one administrator said this afternoon after an ad hoc closed meeting in Main building at which the news was first presented.