Saturday Shopping IV

 

It's been a while. Last November to be exact, but today I went out to toycon again to buy some cool goodies! 

First up is Frankenstein's Monster and his Bride. Bride Of The Frankenstein is my favorite Universal classic monster movie. Everything about it is SO GOOD.  These plushies sure are cute.

Next is this super cool vintage vinyl Porky Pig. 

I'm not much of a jewelry person, but necklaces are fine. I really like this Winnie The Pooh one dressed as a cowboy.

Ey, why not another Pooh collectible. I like these. I used to have a Space Jam Bugs, but I think I got rid of it. It's Tigger.

There wasn't that much DVDs at toycon which is understandable but I got a Criterion Collection called Vampyr. A Carl Theodor Dreyer film. He also directed Passion Of Joan Of Arc. So this film could be insane, also I barely have any Three Stooges merch, only a graphic tee shirt, but I really like this Moe toy. Nice blue and white polka dot tie.

Adore me some Toy Story so I bought Woody. 

Speaking of graphic tees, this amazing Donald Duck shirt referencing one of his 1940s cartoons. 

And finally, the coolest thing I bought. A Bing Crosby Gemmy animatronic. So cool it still has batteries to play his singing. This was only 30 dollars and was worth it. 

Hope you enjoyed my June 2026 lineup of stuff I bought. I'll probably be back in the next few months but I'll still continue to share more posts of my haul whenever I go out somewhere fun.

Want the links to the 3 parts? 

https://sngexplorationblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/saturday-shopping.html?m=1

https://sngexplorationblog.blogspot.com/2025/06/another-saturday-shopping-trip.html?m=1

https://sngexplorationblog.blogspot.com/2025/11/saturday-shopping-iii.html?m=1

The Powell Pressburger 3

 

It's been terribly almost a month since I last posted on my exploration blog. Been on a movie spree. Sucked into old cinema. I love Old Hollywood. There's alot of movies that still stick today, and some of the movies I seen have inspired my work ever since. 

I've been interested in films directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, I watched 3 of their films so far. A Matter Of Life And Death is among my favorite of the bunch.

Most of these are on FILMGRAB, thank you guys so much. May you continue to inspire to this day. 

First of all, I love this frame of the universe. There's a narrator in the introduction scene, and usually that happens in my other favorite films as well.

In the opening credits the movie used both Technicolor and Dye Monochrome. I love the Stairway to Heavens scenes, they're grandiose and imaginative. I'm someone who is obtaining that knowledge and salvation in the presence of the Lord's blessings and giving us opportunities on what life can lead to, which is why I'm always a sucker for these movies where they have settings or taking place at a time with life's struggles and the director's on what they vision the afterlife.  

I like this celestial viewing of The Other World. I couldn't believe how ambitiously crowded they hired people to be on screen in this film. There was like over thousands of people I believe.

Here's another look into A Matter Of Life And Death and Black Narcissus with it's more grounded moments.

I love these fast-paced moments of Dr. Reeves riding his motorcycle.

Some nice uses of blue skies.

This type of stuff I want to create with my animations. I like the shadowing. I'm still drawn to the 30s-40s animation. Looney Tunes, Disney, and MGM. I enjoy their slapstick, and energy. But I felt like animation after that probably 80s-90s by that time we had NIMH, Studio Ghibli and Hunchback of Notre Dame, to me they have one of the best animation I ever seen. They use alot of shadowing, more camera angles and show body language and emotion. 

Here's some great close-up shots. 

I don't have much to say about Black Narcissus besides it's still a beautiful film that studies sexual repression, discipline and isolation. This is an impressive view.

 

The Red Shoes is another timeless classic where the Ballet of The Red Shoes sequence really is astounding more than the other moments involved. 

I love this scene best it looks as if it was from an animated film, it's beautiful and mysterious.

I actually watched a production sketches short after I watched the feature film, I had no idea there was films like this that exist. I thought you would only get that sorta stuff in books just like the Hitchcock Storyboards I have in my collection. 

These are awesome, no wonder why you don't see features like this anymore. It's very cool and interesting.

Ozu Films In Color

 

I recently stumbled across a video on Turner Classic Movie's YouTube channel titled Ozu in Color. They collaborated with Every Frame A Painting and I was absolutely amused by it. I loved the color scheme to these films directed by Yasujirō Ozu, I'm wanting to watch his films just to get the experience outta them.

Some of these frames are just outstanding in particular you can't even tell they were made in the 50s like this one below. Equinox Flower (1958). Love the colors.

I think in terms of what movie I like out of all the films that were mentioned in terms of the frame grabs, I seemingly like Floating Weeds (1959) the best. This is by far my favorite shot. Literally aesthetic before aesthetics became a thing. It's a vibe for sure.

Alot of appreciation from Japanese filmmakers and culture. I'm inspired by Ghibli films, I really like Porco Rosso and Pom Poko in particular, and the manga comic style does interest me. 

I love those mint greens, and like the shadowing detail. It gives this frame a calm feel to it. 

We see these people doing their hobbies, not too busy and overly filled with a ton of crowds, just a peaceful environment.

Sometimes when I watch a film specifically in regards to it's Technicolor process, sometimes when a film looks kinda color accurate but adds tints to make it more different hurts the film's appeal. I know back then the color process for old films wasn't exactly precise. That's why I do tend to like limited color palettes sometimes so it looks more artistic and experimental.

This is a image below is a great example of that.

When colors like brown and grey exist you may think it's dull, dingy and bland. It doesn't make the film vibrant. For film's going for a more mellow tone, I appreciate them going for more natural colors.  

Here we get a nice view of a man in a room, zoomed in and out.

Ozu sure has talent, he is also one of those directors who can remake a film decades after. I think there's more of a purpose into remastering his films from B&W to color. 

In my opinion, the 1959 version of Floating Weeds gives off more of a tranquil beauty, it's alot nicer.

It inspired me to create characters that relates to the Japanese lifestyle.

I love pandas, and chose some color palettes to accurately resonate the culture. 

I named her Pandama. 

Here's the full link to the video if your curious.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s5P22nEmF3k&t=385s

A Christmas Post In April

 

Ever just found something very interesting and cool at a store and you just want to post it even if it's something related to the holidays but we're (sigh) only 7 1/2 months away from it?!

This is what I bought at Goodwill. Yes, call me silly but Goodwill can be fun sometimes, it ain't only clothes, there is some cool collectibles and DVDs. 

There's barely any recognition for the oldies especially Bing Crosby. I get the change of what's trending or poppin' lately and people come from what they're drawn to best. I mean I'm definitely not that person who wants to say, "EVERYTHIN', EVERY PRODUCT HAS TO BE SOMETHIN' FROM THE 1920s T' THE 1940s!" No. I get people's appeal to things. 

To me I think it just has to do with the enjoyment and joyfulness. And to me when I listen to stuff from Como, Day, Nat King Cole, Bing and Louis I just smile. I have no problem being happy with musicians I enjoy listening to. Maybe it's just the smaller elements, the lyrics the melody the tone of the singer's voice etc.

This holiday season, I'm in to introduce these greats of vintage music to my loved ones. They'll show you what the true spirit and love of Christmas is really about. 

Is it me or does the red highlighting give off the feel of the nostalgia that I remember hearing these artists and hearing the warm vintage quality of the songs?

I was surprised when there was a flip book for this CD songbook. It just made the whole thing alot more impressive. 

Whoa, I actually never heard of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" ever. Sure I'm not a Christmas songologist, but I can't wait to get myself into that song eventually, but those lyrics! 

There were some Christmas songs that not only became hits on radio, but movies too. What great sense. It has happened with non-Christmas songs as well. Also very neat and generous for them to text "Happy Holidays!" 

Overall a rare but neat collectible find. I'm liking the appreciation. 

There will be another Golden Age on my exploration blog someday but almost 2 years and 300 posts, it's safe to say I done a whole lot. And me taking breaks from it is necessary.

The Field Mouse (1941)

 

I honestly find the MGM cartoons from the late 30s- early 40s particularly directed by Hugh Harman are very underrated and have good plots and characters to them.

I really like the expressive, fluid, slapstick animation from the 1940s. Alot of smears, very simple but memorable character designs and solid construction in them.

During this scene in The Field Mouse (1941), Grandpa Mouse gets involved in the horrors of the wheat thresher filled with machine gears. This is a great scene in particular and almost feels cinematic in a way.

Sometimes these reaction shots when a character experiences a dangerous and climatic scenario especially in an animated film, squash and stretch usually aim for that purpose to make it more amusing and lively even if the character doesn't have too much of a personality trait it can still have human instincts. 

Some very underappreciated and unique camera angles.

This a good tool whenever to create animated scenes like this below. I like this tiny rodent falling and we get to see drawings that looks link he's shrinking but in reality (for this cartoon) he's falling trying to rescue his grandfather.

I like how all the wheat sorta forms into a spiral.  

Like some other truly likeable Harman cartoons like Peace on Earth, The Hungry Wolf, and The Bookworm Turns, this isn't going for funny comedic gag-heavy insanity like Tom and Jerry and Tex Avery's shorts but in my opinion, in terms of the stories, the animation, and the emotion these are one of my favorite cartoons from the classic MGM studio.

Especially if they're short, they can still be very amusing and offer good moments in them. 

That's what's so pleasurable about the naturalism and human reality we're currently living through today. Art can speak clearly as we ourselves can speak to others honestly and truly. That's what so unique and special about art. It can express what we both feel and think about the world around us. 

I like to honor what I said with a few screencaps from Gone With The Wind (1939). 

Besides it being almost 4 hours this has some of the best environments I ever seen in a movie. I would be completely astonished if I only seen all of the lesser complex bits of the film entirely because it grasps alot of emotional depth and the journeys of the world.