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Alternative romance films for Valentine’s Day

(Y Chairman of the Board: Crossed Swords and Star-Crossed

(¥ Animesque: Nature versus nurture

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Contact: Cheryl Minns, Arts Editor
Marts@theotherpress.ca

www.theotherpress.ca

 

It takes two

» Why couples in love make the cutest bands ever

Julie Wright
Columnist

Sn Valentine’s Day is fast
approaching, love is in the
air and my iPod is playing
music by couples bands more
often than not. A couple band
is a musical duo comprised of

a romantically-involved couple
that’s the most adorable thing
ever. When the couple is in

love and infatuated with one
another, the music they make

is more than electrifying. It
reminds people of the time they
had that feeling, and gives them
hope that they may have it once
again.

A few newer bands like
Arcade Fire, the White Stripes,
and Us the Duo are all prime
examples of the chemistry that
musical couple duos exhibit
in their songwriting. When
a couple comes together to
make a work of art over several
months, or even years, it says
a lot about their resilience,
especially since writing an
album can be hard enough on
your own let alone trying to do
it with someone else. The songs
produced on said album will
probably be some of the most

: intimate, heart-string-pulling
: songs, made out of love and

: long days.

: Arcade Fire consists of

: more members than just

: married couple Win Butler and
: Régine Chassagne, but they’re
: fantastic nonetheless. Their

: song “My Heart is an Apple”

: is truly raw and shows that

: even though love isn’t perfect,
: if you accept the flaws of the

: other person, they'll leave you
: a little less vulnerable. Arcade
: Fire doesn’t do too many love

: songs, but when they do it’s

: pretty special since they’re all
: extremely talented musicians.
: The White Stripes have a

: little bit of a harsher love tone
: to them since they’re already

: a little more punk and a little

: less indie than Arcade Fire, but
: the romantic feelings can still
: be heard. Their songs “We're

: With a Girl,” and “I’m Bound
: to Pack it Up” all show that

: Jack and Meg White were in
: passionate and chaotic love.

: ended, but their music is still
: very powerful and intense when
: it comes to the romance.

Us the Duo is very different

: from Arcade Fire and the White
: Stripes since they mostly do

: covers, almost all of which have
: been love songs. In their songs

: “I Will Wait for You,’ “Falling

: in Love,” and “Take Me Home,”

: the love they have for each

: other is apparent, and it seems

: even more real in their videos.

: They got married recently, so

: their love is pretty genuine, and
: hopefully they can stay together
: fora long time.

While bands that are made

: up of siblings, or good friends,

: or even a parent and child are

: quite fantastic and can produce
: deep music, a band made from

: acouple will make your heart

: wrench just a little bit more.

: The chemistry, intimacy, and

: pure love they have for one

: another is just enough to push

: their songs that extra little bit to
: achieve ultimate cuteness.

: Gonna Be Friends,” “Fell in Love :

It’s true that not all love

: songs are good, and some are
: really cheesy. It’s also true

: that bands can be fantastic

: without the members being a
: Unfortunately their relationship :
: together to try and understand
: emotions in one of the most

: expressive ways possible, that

: is true beauty.

couple; but when a couple gets

 

Image from Patrick Pantano

 

Kickstarter in the Community: Fall in love with Mr. Meow

» Kooky cat captures hearts with Kickstarter campaign

Cheryl Minns

. Arts Editor
Marts
@theotherpress.ca

 

When animator Nyk Petta was
given a class assignment to write
a script about a main character
being captured by an evil doctor,
she invented the stars of her
cartoon series, The Adventures
of Dr. Blah-kman and Mr. Meow,
which she’s been working on
since 2008.

Mr. Meow isa grey cat
that was used as a lab rat by
his mad scientist owner. Dr.
Blah-kman is a half-parrot, half-
man mad scientist who steals
a mad science laboratory, and
consequently Mr. Meow, from
the previous owner in the series’
pilot episode.

“T think this series will add

: a fresh telling of a well-known

: tale. It’s The Odd Couple meets

: Liquid Television,’ Petta, of

: Truncheon M Productions in

: Texas, wrote to the Other Press.
: She created the cartoon

: while pursuing her Bachelor

: of Fine Arts in Media Arts and

: Animation. Now with her degree
: and a few years of experience as
an animator, visual effects artist,
: and voice actor, Petta is ready

to revamp the original pilot

: episode she made. She plans to

: improve the graphics, adjust the
: shots, and lengthen the script.
“Tm anxious to get the

: re-imagined pilot out into the

: world so people can see how

: much potential this series really
: has,” she wrote.

In order to produce a

: high-quality version of The

: Adventures of Dr. Blah-kman

: and Mr. Meow, Petta put the

: project on Kickstarter to fund
: the series, as well as fund Mr.
: Meow merchandise.

: “I felt Kickstarter was a great :
: way to get my idea out into the
: world,” she wrote. “I’ve been

: talking about doing this for so

: long that I needed to take the

: leap and just see what happens
: from here.”

The campaign rewards for

project backers included Mr.

: Meow plush toys, T-shirts, tote
: bags, mugs, signed sketches, :
:; and more. There were even some :
: exclusive rewards, such as the
: opportunity to create a character :
: for the series with Petta fora

: pledge of $1,000, as well as the

: opportunity to have lunch with
: Petta and receive a Mr. Meow

: plush in person fora pledge of
$5,000.

“I decided on the types of

rewards after talking to friends

: and family, and asking what
: they would buy,’ she wrote. “I’ve
: been making Mr. Meow T-shirts

on CafePress for years now and

: people seem to really enjoy

: them. My mother has even been :
: stopped in the grocery storeand :
: asked about her Mr. Meow shirt.’ :
: : conventions in Texas this year,

: with the hope of expanding to

: anational convention tour over
the next two years.

The campaign finished on

January 31, reaching the funding
goal of $1,500 in the final hours
: of the 30-day campaign. The

: next step for Petta is to have the
: rewards made and shipped, and

then it’s onto the reanimation

: process for the pilot episode
: of The Adventures of Dr. Blah-
: kman and Mr. Meow.

“T also have plans to rebuild

: my website, TruncheonM.

: com, and the cartoon’s website,
: AdventuresOfMeow.com, to

: show off the new episode and

: allow people the ability to

: purchase merchandise,” she

: wrote. “I will be building and

: launching an online store for

: the merchandise over the next

: few months. Patrons will be able
: to purchase their very own Mr.

: Meow on the website.”

She will also be selling
her Mr. Meow merchandise at

Petta also plans to create

merchandise with other

: characters in the series,

: including Wicked Pickle and
Pete the Carrot.

“Thank you so much for

: giving me the chance to reach

: out and share my dream with

: other people,” she wrote. “I think
: the reanimated pilot episode will
: be the first time my work really
speaks for itself”