Pixar created a whole new “hair simulator” for curly hair in Brave

In the ’80s, when you wanted big hair you whipped out the Aqua Net. But it wasn’t so easy for animators. The Little Mermaid‘s Princess Ariel was meant to sport curls, but the technology just wasn’t there in 1989—rendering that kind of bounce and frizz, cel after hand-drawn cel, was all but impossible. Now, though, …

Goodbye, Nora Ephron – Thank you for everything

What a shock to learn of Nora Ephron’s death, at 71 years old. What a loss to laughter–among the many other gifts Nora gave us. I met Nora when I was a secretary at Esquire magazine, not even a year out of college. My then boss, Binky Urban, (now my agent) became one of her closest …

Dr. Seuss – before his children’s books, he drew great ads

Before we knew him as Dr. Seuss, he was Theodore Seuss Geisel, adman. As early as 1927 he was illustrating ads for Ford, GE and NBC campaigns. His illustrative style was the same, even then. – Via JESS3

Big Wednesdays – a summer surf movie series – with 5 films

The California Surf Museum and California Surf Festival are bringing together a 5-piece film festival, spread out over the summer. Every few Wednesdays they will show a modern or classic surf film. Tickets are $10, shows start at 7pm, and located in Oceanside, California. See the poster at bottom for the full details.   June …

Short films/commercials from Wes Anderson – starring Brad Pitt, Jason Schwartzman

Anderson starred in and directed an American Express “My Life, My Card” commercial, which chronicled the “filming” of an action movie starring Jason Schwartzman. Anderson acts as if he is being interviewed by someone from American Express for the ad, while walking around completing tasks on set, a scene paying homage to the movie “Day …

Otter 501 – a documentary about a sea otter pup separated from her mother

When an adventuresome young woman discovers a sea otter pup stranded on the beach and in desperate need of a second chance, an entire species’ survival gets personal.   If you liked that trailer, or just love things cute and adorable, see this tiny baby sea otter:

Every single Harry Potter spell in one video

  Behold 17 minutes of straight spell-shouting from the cast of the Harry Potter films, courtesy of one very patient YouTuber. The creepy thing? We can name just about every single spell’s intended result. Wingardium Leviosa! via io9

Glowing reviews for Snow White and the Huntsman – from Ebert and the L.A. Times

Despite poor overall reviews from Rotten Tomatoes (49%) and Metacritic (56), the movie “Snow White and the Huntsman” has been winning over some top critics. Among them Roger Ebert: “Snow White and the Huntsman” reinvents the legendary story in a film of astonishing beauty and imagination. It’s the last thing you would expect from a …