From YouTube.com user: jamesdeanconk

James Dean Conklin, a New York-based animator and documentary filmmaker who heads GreenheadMedia, must be cursed with always having lots of peculiar ideas running through his head. Ideas that he must turn into offbeat animated characters with eccentric and very funny storylines.

It was our lucky day when we ran across his quirky comic treasures, all with their varied characters and humorous plot lines, but also ironic and somewhat twisted in their humor.

You'll laugh out loud with a knowing wink back to these odd little characters and their dialogue. Then you just gotta wave a friend or co-worker over to replay these so you can share the joke.

In case you thought animation was just for kids, Conklin's "Adul Tito" (above), a precocious sprout who's fond of wearing a dark suits, tells us that animations are cool. But kids? Well, Adul Tito hates kids. He blurts this out matter-of-factly to the horror of his little neighbor. But he says it in Spanish so it sounds so much nicer.

Conklin and Greg Fiering created the Adul Tito videos as a portfolio piece to help him land a producing gig at the Locomotion network. And it paid off, he got the job.

Then there's the crime-fighting superhero WONDERMAN, and his alter-ego Henry Moore, a la Superman and Clark Kent. The sound and the animation in this steamy little shocker are somewhat cold and jumpy. I'm speculating that they were produced like that to mimic cartoons from the 50's or 60's. And the very serious sounding narrator and non-nonsense voices are a perfect contrast to the overtly sexual dialogue.

Wonderman is a crime-fighter, but like any guy he also wants to get laid. Well, get his alter-ego laid that is. Yes, he thinks about sex so much it's a wonder man that he gets any crime fighting done.

Wonderman, we're told, was an animation created for the Robert Smigel's TV Funhouse series (on Comedy Central) as a spoof of the 1940's Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons.

Ya know that guy? That guy who always has all the answers, but it turns out that they're the wrong answers? But he's so serious, and Gosh, so sincere and amiable that you can't bring yourself to tell him that his ramblings are utter nonsense. No one ever stopped this guy so it turns that he got his own TV show, self-named the The Monkeyman Show, complete with his own set of guidelines that he calls "The Monkeyman Rules".

Yes, The Monkeyman is a self-labelled, self-help guru whose work has helped dozens over the past 30 years. He'll guide you to success and empowerment with such admonitions as "Think of a place you want to go ... then go there."

In addition to all the above videos, there's also the short series called "Migraine Boy"; and also "Trail of Tears" and "Matthew", both by Greg Fiering.

All of GreenheadMedia's shorts are watchable, over and over and ageless. These videos are between five and ten years old. We'll be watching for more current stuff. But they'll have to push themselves to top their earlier work discussed above.

Labels: Adul Tito, aitkins, arts and animation, Clark Kent, comedy central, greenheadmedia, Greg Fiering, James Dean Conklin, jamesdeanconk, Monkeyman, superheroes, superman, Wonderman

From YouTube.com user: TMCA

We usually stay away from reviewing music videos because it's traditionally the music which is the main feature and the videos can't usually stand on their own. But the music and accompanying video to "Do You Fear Sleep?" from the album Insomnia from the group 'The Moscow Coup Attempt' grabbed me and mesmerized me through four viewings.

Perhaps it's because I live and work in San Fransisco and I take the same route shown in the sepia-toned video several times a week. Perhaps it's because I'm entranced by the historical images of these people from 100 years ago in this film and the inevitable thoughts of time and mortality it conjures up.

The video is actual film of San Fransisco's Market Street -- the main drag through downtown -- shot from a trolley car in 1906. The images flip back and forth -- showing carefree people on the street scurrying about in their daily business with no thoughts of impending doom.

Then the picture switches to darker skies, slower movement and fewer people moving about on those same streets. You can also clearly see the same buildings in ruins just after the 1906 earthquake and fire.

I love that the camera follows the same route from west to east, towards the Ferry Building in the distance in both scenes. It seems to have the same perspective and speed, as if it's on the same trolley car in both shots, like someone had choreographed and directed the entire scene beforehand.

From a performance standpoint, both the video and the music undeniably stand, with dignity and poise on their own, earthquake images notwithstanding. And isn't that the standard for rank distinction in music or for a music video?

Granted, the video was shot 100 years ago, so the group or producer in charge of the creating the music video had no hand in its actual creation. But isn't vision for partnering images -- new or old -- with music what defines a successful music video and makes it come alive?

Now, if you don't mind, I have to replay this one more time.

Labels: 1906, aitkins, cable car, earthquake, insomnia, Moscow Coup Attempt, San Fransico, trolley

From YouTube.com user: chriscanary

Betty needs her meds! Among other things, she has "female problems" so bad that she can't even watch "I Love Lucy" in the morning anymore.

But the good news is she's found her pill paradise. Yes, she goes across the border to Mexico or Canada to purchase medication. Praise the Lord, it's "Better living through chemistry." sniff sniff ...

Is that 'A Stranger in Paradise' playing in the background?

Let's listen in ...

Labels: aitkins, Betty Butterfield, doctor, hospitals, medication

From YouTube.com user: theresidents

The Residents present a series of very short videos following the adventures of a 9-year-old kid named Timmy. In actuality, these wizards of satire take old stock footage of movies or educational films and put their own engaging take on the action with Timmy's chirpy voice-overs.

In this one Timmy happily talks about his brother Kruger and how he doesn't like to wash his hands and how this makes him somewhat of an outcast. Poor Timmy, he doesn't get it. We get it and we absolutely love these delightful little parodies.

Labels: '50s, aitkins, entertainment, satire, theresidents, timmy

From YouTube.com user: theresidents

"Speaking of uteruses..." I didn't know we were. Oh, Timmy. He stumbled onto his aunt having The Talk with his cousin.

The residents have resurrected a very, very old sex ed movie. I believe I watched it in 4th grade before most of you were born. Both Timmy and the movie are astonishingly naive. This one is hilarious.

Labels: burrito, entertainment, penny watkins, theresidents, timmy