Oktapodi

Plot:

Two Octopi fight for their lives with a stubborn restaurant cook in a comical escape through the streets of a small Greek village.

This Way Up

Story line:

 A.T Shank & Son have a bad day at the parlour when a falling boulder flattens their hearse. Emotional and literal pitfalls lie in wait for the odd couple as they make their way cross country with just a coffin for company. This short animated caper puts the fun back into funeral as their journey and relationship unravel on an epic scale.

《回忆积木小屋》：灯塔。坟冢。孤岛。

《回忆积木小屋》（2008）

导演：加藤久仁生

那座久已遗忘的村庄呵；房舍在稀疏的村庄，人群在流散的村庄，繁世的声响在喑哑着破裂的村庄。——陸支羽

烟斗，老人，积木屋

早前看海明威的“冰山体小说”，曾震慑于潜藏入海水中的伟力。隐而不蔽，溺而不散，如若一场透着微光的仪式。及至《回忆积木小屋》，逐帧逐帧地揣度其极力传达的内核品质，果真与海明威的作家气节是一脉相承的。老无所依的宿命潮水般涌入生命的弥留之地，一格一格，漏出年华的肌理、记忆的枝丫。那是2008年的影坛，一段关于“回忆”的细小的瞬间注定成为隽永的恒久，那埋藏于汩汩潮水底下的生命的烙印被一丝丝划破伤口，血丝涌入遗落的杯盏，化成疗伤的酒。那座久已遗忘的村庄呵；房舍在稀疏的村庄，人群在流散的村庄，繁世的声响在喑哑着破裂的村庄。

1，积木屋的逐层翻新预示着死亡的逼近，这样的隐喻是残酷而温柔的。作为全片重要的意象之一，其中所牵系到的东西方文化差异也势必为人所关注。在我以为，积木屋与“塔楼”相似，无论东方抑或西方，“塔楼”的概念皆源自于哲学，所谓西方的“塔罗牌”与东方的“佛教”，是一种横向的颇具建筑美感的“思想的屋舍”。伍尔芙在她的意识流小说《到灯塔去》中也曾“战战兢兢”地提及过暗夜中的“指明”。长此以往，“塔”的精神指向便愈益明晰起来。在《回忆积木小屋》中，老人对他的“塔”是饱含着深情的，这座“塔”不仅仅只是一处居所这么简单，长远来看，它实则是一座以一生的回忆为地基的“坟冢”。而一旦把死亡与“塔”牵系到一起，其内涵便也人为地被拔高了几个台阶，一如佛学上的“塔”往往关乎圆寂、涅磐。从这个层面深究故事内核，或许有些过分，却极好地把属于东方的“禅味”和盘托出了。再者，短片中的这座积木屋是浸润于海水中的，于此便有了许多寓意深邃的“能指”。灯塔。坟冢。孤岛。

老人像搭积木般一层一层地盖楼，这番场面与之后某一层的回忆中孩子们玩积木的场面遥相呼应。最早得遇这样的呼应是在阿伦·帕克的音乐电影《迷墙》中，它以“孩子的积木”与“成人的柏林墙”隐喻性的对位来反映现世的无力扭转。这样的呼应无疑是残酷的。当孩子们手头的游戏异变为成人求生的本能反应，那这游戏的潜在意义也太黑暗了。我们试想，或许老人会是一个好渔夫，但绝然不会是一个好泥水匠。在我以为，搭积木就是他盖楼技巧的最原始启蒙。

2，无论是形而上的“建筑”还是形而下的“追溯”，老人的生命历程都呈现出一种“竖行”的线性形态。这样的生命形态是积极向上的，却又而充满宿命的气息。老人的一生注定只够爬行到塔尖，守候“回忆”的韧劲使他甘愿独守“孤岛”。穷其一生，那高高垒砌成的屋塔便是岁月的不朽明证。这令我想及墨西哥导演伊纳里图的《巴别塔》，那些塔尖的风景美好而惨烈，东京暗栋栋的楼群间，女孩的胸脯战栗在夜风中，那是渴望沟通的低吼。而俄罗斯导演萨金塞夫《回归》中那高高的瞭望台，又该埋葬掉多少骇人的勇气和先辈的英魂呢？

3，《回忆积木小屋》的临场感很强，我们很容易进驻老人的内心，去细细体悟生活的苦乐。随着海水一层一层没过老人的躯体，一管烟斗牵引而出的回忆细细地渗透进身体的某处，有一种淡淡的喜悦和感伤。而影片的画风彰显出一种油画般的气质，是欧洲艺术家们所热衷的画风。磨砂玻璃式的画质又呈现出一种“平易中的魔幻”，带有日式的哲学气息，这种创作感觉在敕使河源宏的《砂之女》中可以找到例证。从整体而言，《回忆积木小屋》是东西方文化相得益彰的“衍生品”。

另外，短片浑然天成地触及到当今社会多层面的信息，如环保、养老等。海平面的逐层上升对应着全球气候变暖，而老人的孤独则是这个日趋老龄化的时代势必面临的心灵的“囚牢”。无疑的，这就是奥斯卡的选择。

回忆积木小屋

看完《积木之屋》，我的心里在反复默念着一个词：人生，人生，人生。我放弃了去思考地球变暖之类的环保问题，因为完全被孤单的气场所包围，沉浸在无边无际的伤感之中。

如果用时间来衡量生命的精度，通常只分为两截：过去，以及未来。过去通常是美好的，它代表着回忆。而未来则代表了希望，可以弥补过去的遗憾。那么在生命的末端回顾自己的一生，我们给生命留下了什么，生命又给我们留下了什么？

如果我爱的人，伴侣，朋友，亲人，早已先离开，而后来者已经有了他们自己的生活。那这世上，还有什么值得我珍惜的？

没有了。

我为了什么而活？为了金钱地位，为了享乐安逸，为了证明自己的本领，为了实现所谓的梦想？是否要到生命最后一刻，我才会发现，其实我是为了我爱的人而活。是的，并不是为了我自己那些目的活下去，而仅仅是为了我爱的人，再看一眼他的笑容，再和他吃一顿饭，再与他相拥一次。只要有他在，就有存活下去的理由。生命的意义简单得让人心痛。

我还活着，是因为这世上，有人可以让我挂念，有人需要我，有人为我所爱。

如果这些人都不在了，那这世上所有的，就只剩下我，和他们留给我的回忆。那么生命就只剩下过去，没有未来。所以这世上总会有些人选择死亡，并非没有活下去的勇气，只是没有活下去的理由。

失去爱的人。整个世界只剩孤单。

还记得那首诗吗。

Funeral Blues，葬礼蓝调。

停止所有的时钟，切断电话

给狗一块浓汁的骨头，让他别叫
黯哑了钢琴，随着低沉的鼓
抬出灵怄，让哀悼者前来

让直升机在头顶悲旋
在天空狂草着信息他已逝去 
把黑纱系在信鸽的白颈
让交通员戴上黑色的手套

他曾经是我的东，我的西，我的南，我的北
我的工作天，我的休息日
我的正午，我的夜半，我的话语，我的歌吟 
我以为爱可以不朽：我错了

不再需要星星，把每一颗都摘掉 
把月亮包起，拆除太阳
倾泻大海，扫除森林 
因为什么也不会，再有意味

Human Condition

For other uses, see Human condition (disambiguation).

The human condition encompasses the unique features of being human.

It can be described as the irreducible part of humanity that is inherent and not dependent on factors such as gender, race or class. It includes concerns such as the meaning of life, the search for gratification, the sense of curiosity, the inevitability of isolation, or anxiety regarding the inescapability of death.

The “human condition” is principally studied through the set of disciplines and sub-fields that make up the humanities. The study of history, philosophy, literature, and the arts all help us to understand the nature of the human condition and the broader cultural and social arrangements that make up human lives.^{[citation needed]}

The human condition is the subject of such fields of study as philosophy, theology, sociology, psychology, anthropology, demographics, evolutionary biology,cultural studies, and sociobiology. The philosophical school of existentialism deals with core issues related to the human condition including the ongoing search for ultimate meaning.

Contents   [hide]  1 Notable theories 2 Use of the term 3 See also 4 References

[edit]Notable theories

There are several theories as to what humans all have in common. A popular example is that humans search for purpose, are curious and thrive on new information. High-level thought processes, such as self-awareness, rationality, and sapience,^[1][2][3] are considered to be defining features of what constitutes a "person".^[4][5] It has been defined as humans' capacity for 'good' and 'evil'.^[6]

The existentialist psychotherapist Irvin D. Yalom has identified what he refers to as the four "givens" or ultimate concerns of human existence - concerns with meaning, loneliness, freedom and mortality.^[7] Yalom argues with Sartre that man is "condemned to freedom", and must face his ultimate aloneness, the lack of any unquestionable ground of meaning, and ultimate mortality.

In most developed countries, improvements in technology, medicine, education, and public health have brought about quantitative, not necessarily qualitative, marked changes in the human condition over the last few hundred years, with increases in life expectancy and population (see demographic transition). One of the largest changes has been the availability of contraception, which has changed the lives of countless humans. Even then, these changes only alter the details of the human condition.

[edit]Use of the term

The term has been used in André Malraux’s novel (1933) and René Magritte’s paintings 1933 & 1935, both titled La Condition Humaine, Hannah Arendt’s book(1958) and Masaki Kobayashi’s film series (1959-1961).^[8]

Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith has written a number of books on the subject of the human condition including Free: The End of the Human Condition (1988);Beyond the Human Condition (1991); A Species In Denial (2003); and Freedom (2011);^[9] and defines the human condition as "the agonising, underlying, core, real question in all of human life, of are humans good or are we possibly the terrible mistake that all the evidence seems to unequivocally indicate we might be?", arguing that science has now provided an answer to the human condition that defends and liberates humans.^[10]

[edit]See also

Absurdism Continuity thesis Cradle of Humanity Erik H. Erikson Existentialism Human nature

Human self-reflection Malaise Maslow's hierarchy of needs Man's search for meaning Meaning of life Ontology

Human life Personal life Self-awareness Seven ages of man The Denial of Death Theory of everything (philosophy)

[edit]References

1. ^ Dependent Rational Animals: Why Human Beings Need the Virtues By Alasdair MacIntyre pp. 60, "But this [language] is insufficient for human rationality, What is needed in addition is the ability to construct sentences that contain as constituents either the sentences use to express the judgment about which the agent is reflecting, or references to those sentences."
2. ^ John McDowell, Mind and World, 1994. p.115, Harvard University Press, (quoted in Dependent Rational Animals, by Alasdair MacIntyre): "In mere animals, sentience is in the service of a mode of life that is structured exclusively by immediate biological imperatives" [..] "merely animal life is shaped by goals whose control of the animal's behavior at a given moment is an immediate outcome of biological forces"
3. ^ The Really Hard Problem:Meaning in a Material World, Owen Flanagan, MIT Press
4. ^ Dependent Rational Animals: Why Human Beings Need the Virtues By Alasdair MacIntyre pp. 60, "Those who have wanted to draw a single sharp line between human and nonhuman animals have commonly laid emphasis upon the presence or absence of language as such, the ability to use and to respond to strings of syntactically ordered and semantically significant expressions whose utterance constitutes speech acts. But this is insufficient for human rationality. What is needed in addition.."
5. ^ Nature vs. Nurture: The Miracle of Language, by Malia Knezek. "What about the fact that other animals do not have similar language capabilities? [..] This obviously involves some innate difference between humans and other animals.. [..] ..other animals do not use any other form of language (i.e. sign language) even though they have the physiological capabilities." citing, Andy Clark. Being There: Putting Brain, Body, and World Together Again. The MIT Press, 1997. 208-209.
6. ^ Griffith J. 2011. The Human Condition. In The Book of Real Answers to Everything!. ISBN 9781741290073. http://www.worldtransformation.com/human-condition/
7. ^ http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/ultimate_concerns.htm
8. ^ Ningen no joken I, the first instalment the Human Condition trilogy by Masaki Kobayashi http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053114/
   Ningen no joken II, the second instalment in the Human Condition trilogy by Masaki Kobayashi http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053115/
   Ningen no joken III, the third instalment in the Human Condition trilogy by Masaki Kobayashi http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055233/
9. ^ "World Transformation Movement". World Transformation Movement. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
10. ^ "The Human Condition". World Transformation Movement. Retrieved 20 March 2012.

Award-winning Animation

The Maker

Fallen Art

Kiwi

Paperman

Paperman is a 2012 black-and-white film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by John Kahrs.The short blends traditional animation and computer animation. The short won both an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 85th Academy Awards,[3] and the Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject at the 40th Annie Awards.
Plot

A young businessman is standing on an elevated train platform in 1940s New York City, holding a folder, when he is hit by a flying piece of paper. The paper is chased by a young woman who lost it to a gust of wind from a passing train. The same thing happens to the man when a subsequent gust of wind from another incoming train dislodges one of the papers from his folder and blows it onto the woman's face. This leaves a red lipstick mark on the paper, much to the woman's amusement when he retrieves it. The man is entranced by the lipstick mark and the woman's beauty, and therefore misses her boarding the departing train. The two exchange looks as she departs.
The man arrives at work, despondent, gazing at the lipstick-marked paper on his desk. He looks out the window and is surprised to find the woman in the building across the street, sitting in an office with an open window. After failing to get her attention by waving his arms, the man begins folding airplanes from a stack of papers on his desk, throwing them out the window one by one in an attempt to get her to notice him. Unfortunately, his efforts are met with varying levels of failure, as well as disparaging looks from his boss. In desperation, having used all of the paper on his desk to no success, he uses the lipstick-marked paper, although this fails as well when a gust of wind tugs it from his hands. The woman then leaves the office, and the man, rebuffing his boss, dashes from his desk. Rushing across a street of busy traffic, he fails to see which way she went, and only finds the final lipstick-marked paper airplane. Angered, he throws it hard and it soars into the sky.
It turns out many of the paper airplanes have collected in a nearby alley, and when the lipstick-marked paper airplane lands among them, they begin to stir and fly from the ground, seeming to come alive, and set off in pursuit of the man. A cloud of paper airplanes forces the man toward a nearby train station and onto a train, much to his confusion. Meanwhile, the lipstick-marked paper airplane sets off in pursuit of the woman, finding her at a flower stand. Recognizing the lipstick-marked paper, the woman chases the airplane to another train station and aboard a different train. The man and woman are finally brought together when both of their trains stop at the same station. They meet on the platform, the man covered in paper airplanes and the woman holding the lipstick-marked paper airplane. As the credits roll, they are seen chatting happily with each other at a restaurant table.