Frankie Latina’s new film Mis En Scene and Modus Operandi…

I recently had the opportunity to interview Milwaukee filmmaker, Frankie Latina…
Frankie is best known for the film Modus Operandi which was released in 2009.
Hear what Frankie has to say about being a filmmaker, and other fun and exciting things.

What is Modus Operandi about?
Two briefcases with mysterious contents are stolen from top
Presidential candidate Squire Parks, setting off a deadly series of
double-crosses and betrayals. Desperate warring factions of
subterranean organizations will stop at nothing to gain possession of
the sensitive material. A covert branch of the CIA calls on notorious
black ops agent Stanley Cashay, who has been barely existing in a
semi-comatose twilight since the murder of his wife. Cashay is offered
the identity of his wife’s killer in exchange for locating and
returning the cases. Agent Cashay uses the most dangerous weapons at
his command, the telephone and his reputation, to unleash a bizarre assortment of
operatives, including the deliciously sleazy Casey Thunderbird and
exotic Tokyo-based special agent Black Licorice. Along with scores of
other beguiling rogues, they initiate a horrifying chain of events,
including ruthless torture and brutal killings. When Cashay is finally
in possession of the stolen materials, the contents of the briefcases
shock even him, and he makes a decision that will change the course of
history. Cashay then sets the wheels in motion for bitter revenge and
harsh justice, but not before the entire operation is nearly derailed
as merciless underworld forces fight back. The final chapters play out
as an increasingly surreal vision of modern reality, skirting the edge
of sanity and culminating with the wrath of the powerful Director
Holiday, a man who would put the fear of God into God Himself.

When did you start Modus Operandi?
2004, During a cold Wisconsin winter.

How long did it take you to make Modus Operandi?
5 Years

Where does the title of the film come from?
It’s Latin for method of operation, and It was in a line of dialogue
in Fire Walk with Me.

Where did you film Modus Operandi?
Milwaukee, Tokyo, and Tapai.

Did you get any big name actors in this movie?
Mark Borchardt, Mark Metcalf, Michael Sottile, and Danny Trejo. Who
were all amazing to work with and made M.O. the cult classic that it
is.

How hard was it to raise money to get Danny in the film?
Raising money is all ways hard, but when you bring a icon to the table
producers check books open up a bit easier.

I heard at one time you were going to have John Waters in the film,
what happened to that?  And what was it like to meet him?
After seeing John Waters Female Trouble I decided to become a
filmmaker, so meeting him was very surreal. We could not get him in
M.O. but I would love to get him in my next picture.

How was your experience making this movie?
Like a journey through the desert searching for water.

What was your inspiration for making this movie?
Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, and Fax Bahr / George
Hickenlooper’s Hearts of Darkness.

What format was Modus Operandi shot on, and any particular camera you used?
We shot the film on Super 8mm, and used old 8mm camera’s from thrift stores.

How much did it cost to make this film?
The same price as a college degree in filmmaking.

What would you do differently next time?
Have funding in place, but you could wait your whole life for funding
and wake up in the suburbs with a mini van and no film.

Any memorable moments while shooting the film?
Unfortunately one of the actress’s was arrested during a skinny
dipping scene. I ask the pigs to take me instead but they refused and
cuffed her.

When did Modus Operandi first appear?
June 2009 in Las Vegas at the Cinevegas Film Festival.

Has Modus Operandi appeared in any film festivals?
So far Cinevegas, Milwaukee, AFI, and Krakow, Poland. Hopefully more
festivals will show interest.

Where can people see Modus Operandi?
They can check the web site for upcoming screenings.

What are you working on next?
Mis En Scene, a feature espionage film shot on 16mm.

Tell us a little bit about Mis En Scene.
I would like to take the audience on a phantasmagorical escape through
a world they never knew existed.

Who are you getting to star in Mis En Scene?
I would like to get Pam Grier. She’s the best actor of our time.

What was your inspiration for this film?
Elio Petri’s The 10th Victim and Wong Kar Wai’s Fallen Angels.

Do you have a budget set up?
I don’t worry about money. I’m a filmmaker not a banker.

How long do you plan on shooting this film?
Five months for shooting, editing, and sound.

When can we look forward to seeing this film?
July 2010

Who are some filmmakers that inspire you?
John Waters Female Trouble, Jack Hills Coffy, David Lynch’s Blue
Velvet, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Francis Ford Coppola’s
Apocalypse Now, anything Stanley Kubrick, anything Wes Anderson,
Robert Rodriguez’s El mariachi, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights,
and Jean Pierre Melville’s Le Samourai. That’s just a few.

What is the best movie soundtrack you’ve ever heard?
Cannibal Holocaust, and Klute.

and finally,

Where can people go to find out more about Modus Operandi, Mis en
Scene, and the whole Frankie Latina Universe?
www.frankielatina.com

Thanks Frankie for agreeing to do this interview, we look forward to seeing some more more work from you in the future.  Look out for Frankie Latina on an upcoming interview on Cine-Rama.

Avatar: Animation? Live Action?

Here’s a thought worth sharing… I haven’t made an OFFICIAL stance on Avatar yet, I’m planning on reviewing it on my podcast… but I am interested to hear others opinions on this.

What is Avatar?  Is it Animation or Live Action?  Or is it a blend of the two?

Looking on IMDb, the Robert Zemeckis films, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol… are both listed as Animation.  Which was created using entirely motion capture technology.

Avatar/Pandora was largely created in a CG environment, utilizing the latest motion capture technology.  Any scene involving Jake Sully in his Avatar body, interacting with the Na’vi is completely CG.  It was actors suited up in a MoCap environment, and acting their parts… those motions were then translated into the CG environment.  So doesn’t that make this film an animation?

King Kong is another example of a film utilizing MoCap technology… but I wouldn’t call this film an animation.  The world of Skull Island was created using CG, but for the most part, the actors were inserted into this CG environment using Green Screen technology.

IMDb does not list Avatar as an animation…  So what is the line between Animation, and CG?  Is CG and Animation one in the same?

Worth thinking about for sure… in the mean time, share your opinion below.

No, No, No… Unacceptable.

Okay, you ready for a rant?  Cause I’m ready to write one….
I have had a few days to stew on this one, and now I’m ready to attack.

My friend shared an article with me, naming the top 10 overrated directors of all time.  I am not going to share the link with you, because I don’t want to give this person any more credit then they deserve.  But let’s look at the list briefly, shall we…

10.  Ridley Scott – Okay, I’ll give him this one, I have always thought that Ridley Scott was overrated.  I have never seen Blade Runner, I’m going to just come out and say that right now… I had the soundtrack as a kid, but I never saw the movie.  I have never been a fan of the Aliens series, and I really stopped paying attention to his movies after Matchstick Men (which was awful)… I haven’t bothered with any of his other films.  And NO I don’t like the Gladiator… I’m sorry.

9. Michael Mann – Okay, I’ll give him this one too, I don’t see the appeal to Michael Mann… I don’t care if he did Miami Vice, or Heat…  that doesn’t make him a good directory. Although he does get a reprieve for Collateral, which was a good movie.

8. David Lean – I really have no opinion here, I don’t know much by David Lean other then Lawrence of Arabia, but if I had to base it on that movie alone, I’d say yeah… he’s overrated (cause I don’t really care for that movie all that much… throw tomatoes now).

Now this is where it will get really interested… because I was with him up until 7, and then I started questioning his ability to rate movies.

7. Darren Arnofsky – Granted, Pi was not a work of art, it had some soul… it was well written, stylized, and often interesting.  But really not worth rewatching.  Arnofsky is learning, he’s growing… and he has really earned his current status.  I give Darren Arnofsky credit for rising from obscurity to a major Hollywood player.  Well sort of… AND not to mention, he helped resurrect Mickey Rourke’s career.

6.  Mike Nichols – Come on MAN!  How can you knock Mike Nichols, whatever problems you might have with the Graduate, at least admit that this movie helped define a generation, and continues to inspire filmmakers (such as my self) for all the subsequent generations.  Who in their right mine can honestly think that Mike Nichols is over rated… He also really hasn’t made that many movies worth arguing over.

5. David Lynch – Short and sweet… David Lynch may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but damn it… he makes you think.  And he takes you into worlds where you would never normally go.  And anyone who knows me, knows that I think David Lynch is a genius.  But like I said, he’s not for everyone.  Only the weirdo like me…  And Blue Velvet is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.

4. Quentin Tarentino – Hmmm… what can I say here, at times I think that QT is a little overrated, but then other times he proves his ability to be a Hollywood A-lister.  He has worked hard, and he has a passion for his craft, and he has a great knowledge of cinema history, a knowledge I only WISH I had…

3. Woody Allen – Again, I can see that Woody is not everyone’s cup of tea, but he has certainly defined his own genre, and for every one film of his you like, there’s probably going to be 2 you don’t like.  The man comes out with 2 movies a year on average… he’s allowed to have a flop once and awhile.  But Annie Hall, Manhattan, Everything You Wanted to Know about Sex, Match Point, Melinda and Melinda, Crimes and Misdemeanors… these are all really good movies.  And Woody Allen only gets better with age.

Okay, this is where I really start to get pissed off…

2.  Martin Scorsese – Excuse my language here, but WHAT THE F*&#!  How can you call Marty overrated.  Let me tell you something sir, when I was 14 I was hooked on the work of Stanley Kubrick… and then 5 years later I saw Taxi Drive, and I forgot all about Stanley Kubrick.  And although you can’t mess with the films of Kubrick, Scorsese is still here, and he’s still making important work.  And he still remains an icon in my world of cinema.  How dare you say that Martin Scorcese is over rated… the man just won a Cecil B. Demille award.  And his life’s passion is not just making movies, but it’s also to preserve film history.  His movies are also varied and wide ranging that it’s almost impossible to see what an important member of the film community he is.  Go back and watch Taxi Driver again, go watch Goodfellas, go watch Raging Bull… Go watch the Departed.  He’s on top of his game, and only gets better.

1.  Alfred Hitchcock – The writer of this article has a lot of “BALLS” getting up in a public forum and saying that Hitchcock is overrated… the man invented the thriller genre, and had a long and great career at making amazing movies.  How many movies did Hitchcock make?  A lot… and how many of them were bad?  NOT a lot… So go watch his movies again, and give them a second chance.  Seeing as how Rear Window is one of my favorite movies, I take this one a little more personally.  Come on man.. Psycho?!  Grrrrrrr…

One last note… I will not go as low as to call this guy any demeaning names such as MORON or IDIOT.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  For example, I think that Citizen Kane is overrated, and I’ve been lambasted for it in the past.  But that doesn’t make me a moron or an idiot… (I’m a moron and an idiot for other reasons).  But it’s hard to agree with a lot of these, mostly because most of these directors (especially 1 & 2) are beloved by pretty much every film lover.

If it weren’t for those two, I might consider this writer credible… He can prove a point for 10-3, but I have a hard time listening to anyone who says that Alfred Hitchcock is overrated.

The tag line for this blog is “Rants and Raves… Facts and Figures from THIS GUY” and I don’t get to truly rant that often, but this is a true rant.  Good bad or otherwise… Thank you for indulging me.

Disney is finally on Drugs… or a Movie Review of The Princess and the Frog

Well, it’s time for another movie review… it’s been awhile since I’ve written a formal review about a movie currently in the theatres, but I knew I couldn’t get away without talking about this one.

Last night I went to see The Princess and the Frog, this movie represents Disney going back to their roots in animation, and filmmaking.  John Lasseter, excuse me… “The Great” John Lasseter, acted as executive producer for this film, and in various interviews available on the interweb, he has said that it is important for Disney to come back to the traditions of animation that they once started (I’m paraphrasing of course).  In essence, the innovators of traditional, hand drawn animation… are back.  In recent years, Disney has laid off most of their animation staff, and shut down their facility in Orlando Florida, and have started making films using a computer instead of a pencil.  But those films just didn’t have the Disney magic that the once great Beauty and the Beast, Robin Hood, Cinderalla, et al have.

Similar to the way it felt to see Indiana Jones in the theatre after a 17 year hiatus… I felt the same way sitting in a theatre watching a true to form Disney animated film.  The last Disney film I saw in the theatre was Mulan, and that was close to 10 years ago…

But enough about animation, let’s talk about this movie.  The story is an adaptation of the Princess Frog, you know where the princess kissed a frog and he turned into a human.  But this version was set in 1920s New Orleans… and had the beauty, and the feel of the French Quarter. 

The characters in the film were wonderful, I especially liked Louis the Jazz playing Gator, and of course for a little comic relief we had Ray the Cajun firefly. 

This movie is by far, one of Disney’s best… although unfortunately I don’t think this movie got as much buzz as it should have.

The nuances in the animation were spot on, I was noticing little movements, that to the general viewer would go unnoticed, but to an animator stuck out and were brilliant. 

I also liked some of the nods to classic Disney films… the Mardi Gras parade had a King Triton float (The Little Mermaid) and the snake that Mama Juju had was almost identical to Kaa (The Jungle Book) and Sir Hiss (Robin Hood) – I’m sure there was more nods that I’m missing but those were the two I caught.

The music in this film was entertaining, although at some points I found it to be tedious… but I think it’s been awhile since I’ve seen a movie with so much musical numbers.  But the jazz, zydeco melodies were neat to hear in a Disney movie.

And can we just talk a moment about The Shadow Man?  The SCARIEST Disney Villain in all of Disney history… making deals with the Devil, and performing Voodoo witchcraft… an intriguing character.  He did remind me of the tempting drug pusher in the seedier parts of town, and the musical numbers involving him, were the trippiest drug induced scenes.  (hence the title)

I would say that this is one of Disney’s best and most ambitious films, and I hope that they continue this route of hand drawn animation, and return to the art form that they helped create.

I think in retrospect, this review is less of a review and more of an excited rant… so if you’ll excuse my rant, and just go see the movie.

December 2009

Happy New Years readers… Here is my December 2009 movie wrap up, and my 2009 wrap up as a whole.

1. Funny People
2. Fantastic Mr. Fox*
3. Away We Go
4. Bruno
5. World’s Greatest Dad
6. Vertigo
7. The Baader Meinhoff Complex
8. Moon
9. Nights and Weekends
10. Food Inc.
11. Paper Heart
12. The Limits of Control
13. Whatever Works
14. My Life in Ruins
15. Antichrist
16. District 9
17. Humpday

154 movies total, 28 in the theatre

In 2008, I saw 113 movies and 33 were in the theatre. Interesting statistics in comparison.

We’ll see what 2010 brings…

What Netflix Sent Me… District 9

I was home sick yesterday, and lucky for me my Netflix movie arrived… in it was the newly released on DVD District 9.

Now here’s a movie, that for whatever reason I avoided in the theatre.  Maybe some of my movie buddies were talking it up too much, maybe I just figured it wasn’t my thing, or maybe it reminded me too much of Cloverfield.  But never the less, I thought I better see it…

For those of you living under a rock for the last few months, District 9 is a story set in Johannesburg, South Africa… an unlikely place for an alien invasion.  At some point in the not to distant future, a space craft hoovers over the city and just sits there… until the army forcefully enters, and finds an entire species of aliens, which they force to live in tenement houses for the next 20 years.  After those 20 years, these aliens or “prawns” are being evicted to a newer district known as District 10.  This documentary style film, follows a government employee, whose job is to evict the prawns, and also find any weapons they may be stock piling.

All I knew about this film, was that it had to do mostly with Aliens, and that Peter Jackson was involved… I had no idea this movie was going to be as good as it was.  I can’t say I was blown away, but I was certainly, thoroughly entertained by it.  The special effects were well done, and the aliens were believable.  I look forward to any sequel that might come out as a result of this film.

1939 Best Picture Winner – Gone With the Wind: Part 1

Wow, a two part review… yes that’s right, this movie is LONG, 3 hours and 51 minutes to be precise.

Movies like this one, were made with a built in intermission, and the copy we have at the house is on VHS, so it comes on two tapes.  So in essence what I’m saying is… I’m reviewing tape one.

Also oddly enough, I am writing this on December 15th, and it was just brought to my attention that Gone with the Wind was released on December 15th, 1939.

Let’s set up the first half of the movie shall we?  Our heroine, Scarlett O’Hara… is shown as a prominent debutant in her home in Tara.  She has many men lining up at her feet who want to marry her, but she has her eyes on Ashley Wilkes… but Mr. Wilkes is in love with his cousin (I could slip in a snarky remark here… but I’ll let you all do it for me.) and they intend on getting married.

Meanwhile, war breaks out (just a tiny war known as the Civil War) ever heard of it?  Anyway all the men are sent off to war, and Scarlett marries a man on whim, just to make Ashley jealous.  But before long, the war takes the life of Scarlett’s new husband, and she is left a widow.

But wait!  A tall, dark, and handsome man with a pencil thin mustache shows up… that man is none other then Rhett Butler.

The rest of the first half, sets up Scarlett as a strong willed and determined women, who is only after one thing… and that’s Ashley Wilkes.  But while she’s pining over him she finds herself caring for Ashley’s wife who is about to have a baby.  At this time Sherman’s Army has destroyed everything around Scarlett and she must fight her way to her home, and avoid being taken by the enemy.

Plus you know, it sets up a love story between Rhett and Scarlett, which is probably the most important part of the story.

Now, on with the review… I have seen Gone with the Wind before, and when I set out to this challenge, I said I would only watch the movies that I have not seen, and write about the ones I have.  So last week, after seeing the 1938 winner I attempted to write a review of Gone with the Wind, and I just couldn’t do it… it had been way too long, and it was time for a refresher.

I have never been the biggest fan of this movie, it’s long, it’s dark, it’s depressing… and it’s not the most feel good movie.  You certainly don’t watch it to cheer up.  But before 1939, the only other adaptation of the Civil War (I could be wrong here), was D.W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation.  Showing the south as a hateful and dangerous place…

Gone with the Wind certainly takes the notion of war and adds a romantic twist to it… it was the first color movie to win Best Picture, and it beat out The Wizard of Oz, which came out the same year (and had the same director, Victor Fleming).  This movie is certainly epic in more then one way, but does it really stand the test of time?

I often feel that Gone with the Wind, and the Wizard of Oz fall under the “cliche” category… and by that, I mean that there is a huge marketing push for these movies, that cater to young women.  You see lots of lunch boxes, and hand bags with Scarlett and Rhett locked in a kiss, with the landscape burning behind them (see image above).  It has taken this movie to a whole different level… and it almost cheapens an otherwise great movie.

This statement goes for both Gone with the Wind, and the Wizard of Oz… but seeing as how much I love The Wizard of Oz, you have to learn to forget about these things.

But anyway, I may have gotten thrown into a tangent… for what it’s worth, Gone with the Wind (at least the first half of it) may not be the greatest movie ever made, if this movie had come out 10 years later, the production value would have been much better.  A lot of the film feels to me like a lot of cardboard cutouts, almost as if it was an epic made on a b-movie budget.  (Please keep in mind that I am seeing this on VHS, and hope to one day see a remastered version)

It is however iconic, the characters stand out, and they stand out in such a way that if I mention Scarlett O’Hara, and Rhett Butler, you know who I’m talking about without even having seen the movie.  The writing is also iconic, three lines from the movie were listed as the greatest movie quotes of all time.

I better stop myself here though, I will not have anything else to write about after seeing the second half… As always comments are welcomed.  I would love to hear other people’s interpretation of this film, and their thoughts and  feelings about it.

DVD Collection…

Ever want to know what I have on DVD?

I know you do… here’s a link to my online catalog.

Check out the Collection here…

10 Best of the Decade… Not my list.

A lot of lists are surfacing right now with “Top 10 Movies of the Decade”
Do you know how hard it must be to pair down 1000s of movies released in the last 10 years, to just 10!?

I sure couldn’t do it…

But, If I let Peter Traver’s do the work for me, that’s a different story.
Rolling Stone writer had the best looking list I’ve seen yet, and I agreed with all 10 of them.

I thought I’d comment on Traver’s list, because it just gives me an excuse to write about movies… (as if I needed an excuse).

Here’s a quick rundown and a link to the article.

10. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
People who know me, know I’m not a fan of LOTR… I know I’ve gotten enough tomatoes thrown at me for this one.  But I’m not going to deny that Peter Jacksons’ Trilogy deserves to be on this list.

9. Mystic River
Thank you Peter Travers, Thank you… when this movie came out I was pushing for the Clint Eastwood movie to win Best Picture, it lost to number 10 on this list.  Oh well… at least it gets some recognition.

8. The Departed
I agree with this choice, however… I’m a bigger fan of Gangs of New York, or the Aviator.  I think that Scorcese deserved the Oscar for Gangs more then he did for The Departed.  Although The Departed is an excellent movie (remake)… I think it was a sympathy Oscar. 

7. Brokeback Mountain
Agreed, very much so… I can’t think of another movie that came out in the last decade that was as edgy or as controversial.  Ang Lee did an amazing job telling this story.  I saw this movie opening weekend, mainly because I just wanted to form my own opinion of it.  Heath Ledger deserved an Oscar for his performance, and I wish he had gotten it…. I could go on more of rant here, but out of respect, I won’t.  He deserved that Oscar.

6. The Incredibles
I have mixed feelings about this one, if Toy Story had come out in the 2000s, it may have knocked The Incredibles off the list (just for shear importance and innovation) but out of all the Pixar movies, I’m not entirely sure I’d agree that The Incredibles deserves to be on a list.  And if you read Peter Travers description, it’s more of a personal thing for him.

5. No Country For Old Men
I think that the fact that this movie took home best Picture is reason enough to put this on the list… I have yet to have watched this movie a second time, although I would like to.  No Country is a powerhouse film, it’s a Film Noir set in the wild west… and it’s scary as much as it is suspenseful.  I agree with this choice… and I give my endorsement.

4.  A History of Violence
This is just a damn fine movie, amazing performances by both Viggo Mortenson and Ed Harris.  I was blown away by this film the first time I saw it.  I did not however see Easter Promises, so I do not know how either of these David Cronenberg movies stack up against each other.  This was a surprising pick by Travers, but I agree… it was a strong film. 

3. Mullholland Drive
Okay Travers, this one threw me for a loop… Really?!  I agree, it’s a great movie… and if I were smart enough to put it on my list, would I have put it in the top 3?  Probably not.  It’s good to see David Lynch represented on this list in one way or another… because we all know that Inland Empire wouldn’t have made the list.  Check out Peter Travers “colorful” description of this movie.  And if you haven’t seen this one, check it out at some point, it’s a mind bender.  (although I’m a fan of Lost Highway).

2.  Children of Men
Now here’s a movie that has been making the round on a lot of people’s lists.  I saw this movie in a haze of cold and flu medication, and I fear my friends may have over hyped it… because I wasn’t as impressed with it as most people were.  I am a fan of “post-apocalyptic” films, and this one sort of falls in that category.  But I think what makes this movie “list-worthy” is the fact that it’s probably one of the most realistic post-apocalyptic movies.  Like this could be where we are headed.

1.  There Will Be Blood
First off let me say how I find it interesting that Travers picked Blood over No Country, especially cause the Oscar could have gone to either film that year.  This is another movie that has been on a lot of people’s lists… and in the number 1 slot for that matter.  I won’t belabor my thoughts on this movie too much, if you go through my last 10 entries you’ll find a pretty lengthy re-review (ohh I like that term) about this movie.

So anyway… I may do this again, I read a few blogs that may also come up with their own 10 best list, and I may write my thoughts on theirs too.

Here’s a link to Peter Travers article on these movies…
http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/31234572/peter_travers_10_best_movies_of_t/photo/1

A Blast from the past, for the Holiday Season.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently about movies that we remember during the Christmas season.  Probably because we’ll be doing a top 10 list on Cine-Rama real soon.

And one that comes to mind, is the Nutcracker.  Now like A Christmas Carol, there’s been A TON of versions of this Christmas classic.

But one in particular comes to mind… I just didn’t know which one it was until about 5 minutes ago.

When I was a kid, we had a VHS copy of the Nutcracker that scared the living daylights out of me… it was creepy, the characters were creepy, there was just something weird about it.

Now keep in mind, that these days I’m all about the weird and the surreal, so it made me thing about figuring out what version of the Nutcracker this really is.

So I went to YouTube, and imdb and started looking around… I found versions with Baryshnikov, but that wasn’t it.  All the clips that came up were just video recordings of the stage version.  This one was way beyond that… this one was acted out and filmed.

Then I found it… on YouTube, in the list of related videos, there was an image of a creepy looking older man with white hair and an eye patch.  Shivers went down my spine… that was it, that was what scared the crap out of me as a little kid.

So I clicked on it, and it all came back to me.  Turns out, it’s called Nutcracker: The Motion Picture, I must have mentally erased this from my mind because I had no idea that there was such a thing.

AND GET THIS!! Production Design and Costume Design by Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are

Now, here’s the best part… You can watch the entire thing on Hulu for free.

So do I face my childhood fears and watch this?  I think I have to…

If you want to see what I was so scared about, here’s the link.  That shit was creepy man…