Speak Easily (1932): Classic Buster Keaton (Obscure Films)

     Buster Keaton never really made a smooth transition from silent films to talkies. Silent pictures captured him in his true element and finest form. Talkies... were tougher for him. His voice was awkward and lackadaisical. His comedy style was better suited to physical comedy, he never perfected verbal timing and delivery. Still, there is always that certain feeling when you see his name that you know the film will somehow be worthwhile, even if it is a talkie.

     In Speak Easily (1932), Buster plays a book-smart College professor, completely naive to real life and common sense. 

     In an effort to get him to live life to it's fullest, a fellow faculty member convinces Buster that he has inherited $750,000. Eager to splurge his new-found wealth, Buster heads off to explore the world. At a train station, he meets a pretty young girl who is part of a traveling dance troupe. He is immediately smitten. 

     The shows manager, played by Jimmy Durante, convinces Buster to tag along, and in the process convinces him to finance the show with his mythical money. 

     Naive Buster goes along with everything that comes at him, experiencing a plethora of life events within a short time, including spending time with the sexy ladies in the dance group. When one says she worked at a Speakeasy, he corrects her grammar saying it is , "Speak Easily", hence the title. 

     He ends up getting drunk, a new feeling for him. 

     And then waking up with a woman, not quite knowing what had happened the night before. 

     With all this promised money comes debt, and when the collectors come calling, what is Buster to do?

scene from Speak Easily

New Illustration: Quiet Desperation #7 (Rob Potylo and Casey Desmond)

Quiet Desperation #7, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     This new illustration, #7 in the Quiet D series, attempts to sum up and depict the friendship of Rob Potylo and Casey Desmond both on the show and in real life. I chose the bright red background for obvious reasons. And there is a thinly-veiled Renaissance art reference hidden in it...

Quiet Desperation (Act Two)- Episode Three

Roadsteamer Shitcom Episode Nine

Casey Desmond and Rob Potylo working on music

visit http://www.quietd.com/ for more on Quiet Desperation

Casey Desmond, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Rob Potylo, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Casey, Rob and Alf, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Rob Potylo, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Sean Sullivan: Profiles from the Quiet-D Illustrations

Sean Sullivan, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     In his role as Chippah, the Noiseboard troll, Sean Sullivan has one of the most memorable characters on Quiet Desperation. Chippah, the former front man of The Bus Stop Brawlers,  hates all music that is not fake Irish accent punk rock, but he especially hates Rob Potylo's music. He spends every spare moment online, bashing Rob, even more so now after being banned from the message board for too many complaints. Chippah blames Rob, but he has continued his work... starting a new message board- "The New Super Duper Noiseboard."

Quiet D episode 4- "The Noiseboard"

Chippah's reaction to being banned from the message board

Quiet D Act 2- Episode 3. More thoughts from Chippah

     In real life, Sean Sullivan is one of the top stand-up comedians in Boston. He is a damn good, versatile actor as well. His website, http://comedy.sean-sullivan.com/, states "Sean Sullivan has secured his place in the Boston comedy scene by pursuing new and innovative ways of entertaining audiences. With his quick wit and strong improvisational talents, audiences never exactly know what they are about to get when he takes the stage."

Sean Sullivan vs. An Old Guy Heckler

An Interview with Sean Sullivan

Another Acting Project

Quiet Desperation #6, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946): Classic Films from Comic Strips

     It is always interesting to see weird characters from comics (either books or strips) come to life in film. You never know how much the director's vision differed from that of the artist. It can be immensely successful, and vice versa. The old Dick Tracy comic strips are full of oddball types, some with strange physical anomalies, that can be hard for live actors to portray. Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946) is not only entertaining, but it manages to keep some of the humor and characterizations of the original cartoon.

     Cueball, a recently released convict, gets hired to intercept a shipment of diamonds on an ocean liner. In the ensuing struggle, Cueball kills the man who was holding the precious stones.

     Dick Tracy, homicide detective, and his partner, are called in to investigate. 

     Having raised the scale of the crime from theft to murder, the dealers who commissioned Cueball to steal the diamonds get nervous under questioning. 

    Cueball hides out in a local watering hole, The Dripping Dagger, that is sympathetic to criminals.

     The conspirators were ripping him off in the first place, only paying him a fraction of their worth.

 When Cueball finds this out, further murders take place... The diamond cutter who got cold feet... 

The unscrupulous Antique dealer, who was to have paid the heavy sum for the stones... 

the bar owner, who plans to steal the rocks and turn Cueball in... 

and the sneaky secretary, who plans to negotiate a separate deal to sell the hot diamonds on her own...

     Dick Tracy's girlfriend, Tess, is willingly set up to pose as the potential buyer of the stolen goods. She is kidnapped by Cueball in the process. 

     It's up to Dick Tracy to save her in time...

a scene from Dick Tracy vs. Cueball

Misery (1990): Films for Winter

     Based on the novel by Stephen King, Misery (1990) has a good claustrophobic Winter atmosphere. Director Rob Reiner gives the viewer the sense of being stuck indoors, but aware of the impassable roads and heavy snow drifts. Of course, for the protagonist, snow is the least of his worries.

     Paul Sheldon is a novelist. Having just completed his book at a remote cabin in the dead of Winter, he prepares to return to the civilized world.

     The harsh conditions from a major storm make driving treacherous, and it eventually throws Paul's car off the road into a ditch.

     He is rescued, but is severely injured.

     He awakens in the home of Annie Wilkes, a former nurse who claims to be his biggest fan. At first she cares for Paul with gentle hands and the utmost kindness.

     This changes when she reads the manuscript of Paul's latest book. In it, he kills off Annie's favorite character. This proves too much and she begins to get crazier and more psychotic.

     It becomes apparent that Paul is not going to be rescued. No one knows he survived the crash or his whereabouts. Annie Wilkes plans to keep him there for herself. The local sheriff is investigating, but the snow storm had covered Paul's car at first, and clues are hard to find. When the car is found, he is presumed dead.

     Paul ventures out of his room while Annie is out and discovers a disturbing scrapbook detailing Annie's sick, murderous past.

     Annie finds out Paul has been leaving his room and makes sure he won't do so again...

     Annie Wilkes is never going to let him leave her side.

      Drastic measures have to be taken if Paul is to escape and to ensure his survival... Does he have the strength to persevere?

Misery- movie trailer

Mora Precarious: Profiles from the Quiet-D Illustrations

Mora Precarious, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

     On Quiet Desperation, Mora Precarious is the resident drummer for a variety of bands. Whether smashing dishes (as cymbals) in Rob's kitchen, practicing at the jam space, unknowingly finding herself drafted into a Viking metal band, making amorous advances on Marnie Hall, or reluctantly going along to do role playing games in the woods, Mora is always open to new projects and adventures.

Mora plays drums in the kitchen- Quiet Desperation 16

North Shore NERO

Viking metal and romance

     In real life, Mora Precarious (Jessica Townsend) is an omnipresent force in the Boston music scene. She plays drums for Ketman, Trabants, and World/Inferno Friendship Society among other projects.
Check out the Ketman site here: http://www.ketman.net/

and the World/Inferno Friendship Society here: http://www.worldinferno.com/

Ketman

Life in Cheat Mode

 

 

Quiet Desperation #6, 2012. By Travis Simpkins

Killers from Space (1954): Classic B Movies

     Killers from Space (1954) has been slammed repeatedly by critics for the past 57 years. They say it sucks. I couldn't disagree more. It has A-Bombs, Aliens, giant bugs and Peter Graves (the narrator from A&E's Biography series) in the lead role. What's not to like?

     Graves plays a scientist who's plane crashes while investigating the radiation levels immediately following a bomb detonation. 

He miraculously shows up at the base unscathed, except for a strange surgical scar on his chest that was not there before.

      His odd behavior rouses the interest of the authorities and they give him a truth serum. Under the influence, he tells a bizarre tale... he died in the crash, but was healed by bug-eyed Aliens afterward to use him as an errand boy for their information needs.

 Their planet's sun is dying and they plan to invade earth and wipe out humanity using an army of giant mutated insects as soldiers... Again, what's not to like?

Killers from Space- movie trailer

Chris Fleming: Profiles from the Quiet-D Illustrations

Chris Fleming, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

     On Quiet Desperation, Chris Fleming plays a sound engineer who "acts as a third base coach" in the recording of Robby's album. His hand signs and gyrating dance moves in the kitchen set the rhythm for the sessions. Sadly for Rob, Chris' help on the album was short-lived, as he accepted a job offer in Los Angeles to record Death Cab For Cutie's new album instead.

Chris Fleming's first appearance in Quiet-D episode 16

In Episode 18, Chris announces he's leaving for L.A.

     In real life, Chris did indeed leave Boston for L.A., but it wasn't for a sound engineer job. He went off to further his career in stand-up comedy and acting, and is really shaking things up out there with his performance pieces. Read about Chris' journey here in this article: Some Funny Things Happened On the Way to LA

Chris Fleming- stand-up comedy

Quiet Desperation #3, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

Breathing New Life Into Old Photos Through Portraiture

Susan, Lou and Mario, 2011. By Travis Simpkins

     People often inquire about commissioning me to do portraits from old photos. Only in rare instances are the pictures so bad that I can't work from them (usually a harsh flash, the picture is out of focus, or dim lighting are the culprits). In some portraits, working from photos is the only option... like if the subject is deceased, or old photos of children for example.

     Such was the case last month, when I was commissioned to do a triple portrait of the client's aunt and two uncles as children, all of who had passed away some time ago.

     I started with the easiest one: the little girl... Here is the reference photo:

The photo was clear enough, but her eyes are looking off-camera. I thought it would be more inviting if I redirected her gaze at the viewer.

     Next up was the elder uncle. Here is the reference on the left:

     Again, the photo is not bad, but the eyes are gazing off and they lack that certain spark of life. So I made those modifications:

     The last one was the most problematic. I had to use a couple different photos and combine them together to form a composite:

     Here's how it came out: