Starr gets a Star!

About time, I should say! Anyway, I thought he already had one... Cheers, Ringo Man!

Blame Ringo!

What a delicious way to start off 2010! This video here below is living proof that pop culture is the driving force of our everyday lives. Enjoy it and a happy new year everyone!

Toot-toot!

At one time, Ringo lent his vocals to a favorite 80's kiddies TV show called THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE. Remember it? Some probably won't but some will definitely and very fondly. See you soon!

Through the window pane

And wouldn't you'd like to have one of those in your house? Perfect subject for a stained glass window, if you ask me.

Ringo, the Artist

In case you didn't know, and I bet you didn't, Ringo also paints. Or doodles, or whatever you'd want to call it. With a computer. Oh, yeah. And he also does exhibitions. And his paintings sell for big bucks. You gotta love him. Take a look at some of it below.

Hello Earth!

Hello everybody! No, I have not forsaken this blog of mine, no siree! Just been busy with other stuff (i.e., other blogs...!) and have not paid the attention this one needs. But fret no more: here's something I've just found that I know you're gonna love! Check it out:

My DVD review

Well, I have to say that the new Lisztomania DVD is a bit of a missed opportunity. Don't get me wrong: it's fantastic to finally have access to an official release of that movie on DVD with the extra bonus of getting to see the original theatrical trailer and on top of that, hearing Russell himself talking through (most) of its duration.

The thing is, more care should have been applied to what are to me the key faults of this DVD. For starters, the transfer is not that good for a 2009 DVD: murky, dark and full of speckles, it's clear that a full restoration was not made. For comparison sake, I'd say it's only a notch up from the Laserdisc, which is not saying too much, as you can see. Also, subtitles are not included which is a common practice in the UK as far as home video is concerned but a sad one, as far as I'm concerned.

But what I felt was really lacking was the audio commentary. Russell is always an interesting person to listen to but let's not forget he is getting old and he really needs someone to keep him talking. There are lots of dead time and most of the time Russell simply describes what he's saying. Guess he haven't seen this one in a long time. Top marks go for the wonderfully written booklet that is filled to the brim with interesting trivia and anecdotes.

Still, it's the best you can get for now because Warner Bros. still refuses R1 users of a home video release.

(the image above is for a japanese single for Peace at Last/Orpheu's Song taken from the Lisztomania soundtrack)

Waiting

Feeling a bit like old Ringo up here, in this lovely caricature I just found in this blog. I explain: I became tired of waiting for reviews to come out about the new Lisztomania DVD (so far, the only one I was able to find was this one over here by DVD Outsider and even that one seems to be misleading because it fails to mention the inclusion of the audio commentary which leads me to believe that the review copy they were sent in was incomplete), so I dutifully went and ordered the DVD myself.

Right now, I'm just waiting for it to arrive at my doorstep and be sure that as soon as I'm able to view it, I will tell you all you need to know about how it sounds and looks (we all know the film is ace, right so no need to expand on that!).

Until then!

Lisztomania DVD streets today!

It's finally out today! The waiting is over! So go out and get it! I know I will.

Expect some reviews in the coming days. Be sure that I shall be posting every single one that I can find! See you all soon.

Lisztomania DVD details!

Hooray! Digital Classics has spilled the beans over at the Ken Russell Discussion Forum regarding the details of the forthcoming DVD! And here they are, directly from the lion's mouth:

The DVD will be released in an anamorphic transfer (...)

The DVD bonuses include a Directors Commentary, 8 page booklet and a theatrical trailer.

Hooray! Very much looking forward to seeing the theatrical trailer as I've never managed to see it and I don't even think it was included in the laserdisc version. Bring it on!

Ken Russell has a message for you!

Yes, you read it right: Ken Russell, the director of Lisztomania, has recorded a message for all of us regarding the upcoming release of the DVD and you can listen to it in the Amazon UK page selling it! Just follow this link.

May can't come soon enough!

One Born Every Minute

Like the above title says, they are indeed born one every minute, I'm sure. Blogs, I mean. Me and some friends of mine have started one strictly cinema based. It's called Maus da Fita, which roughly translates into english as Bad Guys. Here's the link, if you'd like to check it out.

Take care and I see you soon (don't worry, I'm not leaving this one behind! I heart Ringo forever!).

Have one on me!

Hope you had a great Easter weekend. Ringo sure did, by the looks on his face. Cheers!

Lisztomania Promo Trailer

In anticipation of the soon-to-be released DVD for Lisztomania, Digital Classics have put together a trailer promoting it. I strongly suggest you watch it because only then you'll begin to understand the true nature of this particular beast. One to be experienced, that's for sure.

We're now less than one month away from its street date and I'm practically counting down the days, such is my excitement! From what I've heard, the A/V quality of the DVD really is outstanding but so far, no confirmation about the Russell commentary has surfaced. Let's really hope it does materialize. See you soon.

Happy Birthday to One Ringo!

Hi, there! Well, well, well, who would've known? Today marks the very first birthday of this little blog! Well, happy birthday all around, then! To be honest, I never thought I'd get here because in all honesty I started this just to kill time and have a bit of fun whilst spreading the good word of Ringo to everyone that visited this blog. Glad to see it wasn't a complete waste of time.

This glorious date (April's 1st, quite apropriately) also marks some changes around here: from now on, each and every post will have a title and a label at the end. I've finally come to the conclusion that they are very handy when you've past the one year mark and although all previous posts until now don't feature them, I'm going to dedicate myself to the herculean task of labeling all past posts and attributing them titles. How's that for dedication, hey?

Here's to the next one!

P.S. I almost forgot: the poster you see above is for the series of films to be shown this month of April over at O Pátio. They are centered around the theme of pornography even though they are not pornographic per se. Quite interesting selection if I may say so myself. Dew Dropp Inn sometime.

The Magic Christian Original Theatrical Trailer

Trailers from Hell is a wonderful prize-winning website that is dedicated to showing and presenting old and sometimes quite rare trailers to its visitors. The big selling point is that famous directors are the actual presenters of these forgotten trailers and they provide commentaries for each and every one of its so far 254 and counting that are part of its current library. Plenty of fun time to be had over there, so do check it out if you can.

The one I linked to above is for The Magic Christian and is presented by Mick Garris, the man behind the Masters of Horror project among other things. I thought I'd post this one because so far no DVD incarnation of the movie has featured its original theatrical trailer in it so here's your chance to watch it!

Amazing Pencil Drawing of The Beatles

You have no idea of the sheer amount of artwork dedicated to Mr. Starr available on the web. It's quite overwhelming. The one you see above is one of the very best and while it's on the subject of The Beatles, I couldn't help posting it. Quite gorgeous, isn't it? I found it over at flickr.com and as much as I can, I like to give credit where credit is due, so follow this link to know more about its creator.

Take care and I see you soon!

Hirschfeld #2

Just thought I'd post another Hirschfeld Ringo picture I've just found. Isn't it great?

In other news, this is my very last vacation day. Did some terrific things (managed to go to Lisbon and Vigo, among other typical holiday stuff) and luckily the weather was fantastic! Back to work now!

Mark Ryden's artwork for Time Takes Time

A little bit of trivia: the artwork for Ringo's album Time Takes Time you see above was created by Mark Ryden, a famous american painter that besides doing record covers for big name artists (among them Michael Jackson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Jeff Beck to name just a small few), has built a reputation on creating some very striking pieces of work that portray the darkest sides of what is generally perceived as children's fare. As always, Wikipedia is your best friend in these and other matters:

Mark Ryden's paintings instantly trigger a warped déjà vu. His works recall a parallel universe of 1950s Little Golden Books and the whimsy of Lewis Carroll. His cheery bunnies, rendered in the glowing hues of children's books, are more likely to be carving slabs of meat rather than frolicking in the forest. Ryden's work mingles superb technique with outre images to create a world of strange and disturbing beauty. At once intriguing and unsettling, baffling and enchanting, Ryden's works are subtle amalgams of many sources and influences as wide-ranging as Psychedelic and Vienna School artists, Neon Park and Ernst Fuchs, to classical French formalists Ingres and David.

Ryden's work combines a saccharine cartoon-like sensibility - much like the doe-eyed Margaret Keane creatures of the 1960s - with a detailed fullness and a creepy combination of numerology, little girls, meat, Catholic and Buddhist symbolism, and carnivalesque Americana. Toys are a big component of his art. His work ranges from large highly-polished oil paintings to small black-and-white works on paper. Like modern illustrators Sir John Tenniel and Edward Gorey, Ryden is influenced by the fantastic art of Alice in Wonderland and early Renaissance landscapes.

See more of his work over at his official site. I promise you it's really worth it.

Silly Posts

Silly post of the month #2. No comments needed here. Enjoy, as usual!