I Don't Think I Could Do This

You have to wonder about things--especially films--that are given away for free. You'd think that either the film is terrible, or the filmmaker is crazy, or both. Nina Paley is doing just that. While I rented her flick, Sita Sings the Blues, through Netflix, you can watch the entire thing for free online. And if you don't want to stream it, Paley gives you permission to download the film.

I don't honestly think I could ever do such a thing--put my welfare in the hands of my fans--but I think it's awesome that Paley has taken this leap of faith and let her audience send whatever support they can. And support it they will, as SStB is a great watch. While the animation isn't groundbreaking or very dynamic, Paley recognizes this and works with what she has, using shadow puppets (a throwback to The Adventures of Prince Achmed, I'm sure), cut-out style animation, and what look to be traditional Indian paintings. And these are animated in such a way that we can overlook the lack of movement for sake of content. Paley proves that you don't need something to look as gorgeous as Kung Fu Panda to make for an interesting animated film. Really, it's only about 80 minutes, and it is more than worth your time.

In the weekend time, I hope to enjoy both District 9 and Ponyo. I'm sure I'll be talking about them next week. Until then...