Marrakesh Authentic Moroccan
March 2, 2007
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Location: NW 23rd (restaurant row)
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Price to fill up two people: About $40
This was unfortunately a miss. I went in early (5:30 or so) on a Friday night a couple of years ago, and the staff almost overwhelmed me with fervent attention–I was the only one there. Settled into the cushions, did the rosewater handwash thing, they turned on the authentic Moroccan music CD and I was thinking “wow, this is kinda fun.” Then they brought the food and spoiled the whole thing.
Moroccan food is usually on the sweetish side, but this was drowning in rosewater syrup. Sweet course after syrupy course it went on, until I hailed the entree with relief–FINALLY, something savory. Unfortunately, the giant mound of beef was literally dripping with syrup. And as I contemplated whether to send it back or simply pay for the meal and escape, they brought dessert: Baklava. I gave up and fled…and the waiter chased me out the door with a doggie bag.
To this day–and given the great reviews it’s gotten–I can’t decide if the chef simply had a bad day…or somebody was bored and wanted to see if the American lady would actually eat that stuff. Still haven’t gotten the courage (or the stomach) to go back.
Annie got game: The animation awards
March 1, 2007
So I’m a little bit of a wierdo–I’m one of the few people who made the yearly pilgrimage to Siggraph and wept at the beauty of hair moving in the breeze or the elegance of a rock splashing into choppy water (at one point both these things were considered impossible for computer-based animation).
I was, therefore, eagerly awaiting this year’s Annies, the awards given by ASIFA (Association internationale du film d’animation). Well, they’re given out by ASIFA Hollywood, anyway–ASIFAH’s relationship with the mothership in France can be tenuous at times.
Now, I’d be the first to say that 2006 saw a lot of great animation, but not necessarily earthshaking new stuff. Still, I didn’t necessarily agree with the major awards, applauded the minor.
Pixar’s Cars swept a bunch of categories and took best animated feature. I like the film, thought the animation very well done, nice job on the smoke and the dirt, I just wasn’t just bowled over. I thought Dreamworks did a much better job with Over the Hedge, especially in staying true to the original cartoons with well-lit 3D. And although I thought it was (overall) a lame story that overdid the “heartwarming,” Happy Feet‘s use of crystalline ice, water and penguin textures was really top-drawer. (Apparently the Academy Awards thought so, too, because they gave it the Oscar).
But Cars got it. Flushed Away–which I haven’t (gasp) seen yet, grabbed a few awards as well.
Of course, No Time for Nuts–a follow-on short to the wonderful Ice Age work, also won. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it asap. (Hint: You can buy it on iTunes, and it’s also on the Meltdown DVD.) No arguing with the cleverness of the short, which is one of my favorites from this studio, but I was kinda thinking “gee, give somebody else a chance.”
Fumi and the Bad Luck Foot–also a nominee–had incredibly fresh ideas and used an old-fashioned flavor with lots of new kicks. (sometimes literally) It’s nowhere near as polished as Nuts, but hey.
And Wierd Al Yankovic’s “Don’t Download this Song” short (which has me chuckling throughout) is an interesting paen to the RIAA. Really nice, illustrative look although again it’s more old-fashioned than the “accepted” and very 3D animation you’ll find in Nuts.
And on the ad side, the next in the United Airlines series, “Dragon,” won for best commercial. It’s not my favorite of the series, but the imaginative evolution is really neat to watch. This is a cut above what I usually see coming from Duck Studios, and I really salute them for it.
Hmmm. Nobody for the Ub Iwerks or special achievement awards. I wonder if they meant it as a statement of nothing new…if so, I concur. Nothing new–maybe feature-length animation is hitting the mainstream?
Truth be told…if you want to see the best new animations coming down the block, check out Atom Films and YouTube. They’re a couple of the the nicest little playgrounds for aspiring animators I’ve seen in awhile. (although you sift through a LOT of swarf to find anything good on YT).