Aeg Maha (Time Out): Soviet Estonian animation at its most surreal
Priit Pärn and Hille Kusk, “Aeg Maha / Time Out” (1984) “Aeg Maha” is animator Priit Pärn at his most defiantly surrealist best. The entire short…
The Stark Truth: Interview with Jim Goad – self-styled lone wolf is a highly genial character tackling racism, prejudice and bigotry
Robert Stark, “The Stark Truth: Interview with Jim Goad” (Voice of Reason, 20 June 2012) I read Jim Goad’s “The Redneck Manifesto” over a decade ago…
Nõiutud saar (The Enchanted Island): a sweet and charming film with a moral about unity in diversity
Riho Unt and Hardi Volmer, “Nõiutud Saar (The Enchanted Island)” (1985) Another gem from Tallinnfilm studios and this time it’s a cute stop-motion animation short with…
The World Tomorrow (Episode 11: Anwar Ibrahim): a fine conclusion to a generally good interview series
Julian Assange, “The World Tomorrow (Episode 11: Anwar Ibrahim)” (Russia Today, 3 July 2012) In this final installment in his interview series, Assange goes over to…
Northern European Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Jänes (The Hare): trippy bionic bunny tale reconciles science and nature
Ando Keskküla, “Jänes (The Hare)” (1976) One of the trippiest animation films I have seen since starting this blog and I have seen a fair few,…
Kolmnurk (The Triangle): delightfully surreal film about a husband, his wife and her midget lover
Priit Pärn, “Kolmnurk (The Triangle)” (1982) Yet another delightful animation short from this Estonian animator back in the 1980s and thankfully for a non-Estonian speaker like…
Northern European Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Eine Murul (Breakfast on the Grass): study of a dreary, run-down, post-industrial society
Priit Pärn and Hille Kuusk, “Eine Murul (Breakfast on the Grass)” (1987) Inspired by the Edouard Manet painting “Luncheon on the Grass”, this 25-minute short follows…
Suur Tõll: colourful, almost psychedelic animation about a mythical Estonian hero
Rein Raamat and Kulno Luht, “Suur Tõll”(1980) In Estonian mythology Suur Tõll is a giant hero king who rules the island of Saaremaa off the coast…
Põrgu (Hell): good versus evil in homage to a 20th century Estonian surrealist artist
Rein Raamat, “Põrgu (Hell)” (1983) While watching “Wax or the Discovery of Television among the Bees”, I noticed that Thronoi the Bear who had uploaded this…
Multi-media Presentations, North American Films
Wax or the Discovery of Television among the Bees: a moral and political film under the visual overload
David Blair, “Wax or the Discovery of Television among the Bees” (1991) One of my favourite science fiction films since I first saw it in the…