Short films about insect sex starring, written, and directed by Isabella Rossellini... what more do you need to know? Watch them here.

However, this might be something completely different...

(in case you haven't noticed this may or may not be nsfw)

I am enthralled. I have hopes that SBS might pick this up. But I'm not watching that much TV these days, particularly as I can't afford one of my own.

It certainly makes me wish I'd taken more invertebrate zoology classes back at university for some reason.

I think that sets the bar for my new blog rather well.

As with many artists, especially those in the field of drama and cinema, Ms. Rossellini is sometimes willing to give the voyeurs of the world (like me) a narrow window to peek through so long as the window opens up onto her genius.

In this instance, the window opens on her views of the sex life of bugs, with Isabella portraying a large number of bugs. In some naughty instances, Isabella plays the male bug. Ms. Rossellini talked briefly on the Sundance Channel about her reasons for making these short pieces and how she sees this as a new form for story-telling.

She points out the interesting possibilities brought out by the internet and how shorter video pieces can work well for a filmmaker with a short, almost buglike attention span.

Her budget was minimalist, the vision is childlike and lets you get into the sex life of the bugs she portrays.

The actual films are shown on The Sundance Channel.

JUNE 18th

• 1429 - French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under Sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay. This turns the tide of the Hundred Years' War.
• 1767 - Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sights Tahiti and is considered the first European to reach the island.
• 1778 - American Revolutionary War: British troops abandon Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1812 - War of 1812: the U.S. Congress declares war on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
• 1873 - Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election.
• 1953 - The Republic of Egypt is declared and the monarchy is abolished.
• 1981 - The AIDS epidemic is formally recognized by medical professionals in San Francisco, California.
• 1983 - Space Shuttle program: STS-7, Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.

My mom shares her birthday with the following famous people:

Roger Ebert, Paul McCartney, Isabella Rossellini, Carol Kane, Nathan Morris of Boys II Men, and Blake Shelton.

Not too shabby for the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I LOVE YOU!

In each short, Rossellini dresses up as, say, a spider or a dragonfly and describes, through frenzied movement and her impeccable Italian accent, the sex life of that invertebrate: One video finds her demonstrating how an earthworm copulates with its hermaphroditic mate; in another, she’s lamenting the tragic post-coital death of the male bee. At its prurient heart, there’s nothing actually dirty about Rossellini’s Green Porno, though hearing her enunciate some familiar clinical words made us giggle a bit.    by VSL.

 To watch the video, go here:
http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno?go=watch

Image Source: Sundance

Usually, when I get an email about something "green" I roll my eyes at it, but this particular email included the word "porno" and I thought, "oh well, why not".

Isabella Rossellini has created a short series of web shorts about insects and their sexy times...yes...Green Porno=Bug sex. This isn't your average youtube, voice dubbed, National Geographic video; It's Isabella Rossellini herself, reenacting the mating habits of bugs. It’s Ingrid Bergman’s daughter dry humping paper creatures!

The web shorts were premiered at the Sundance Dance Film Festival, but if you watch the interviews, a lot of the formatting is attributed to the fact that they were pushing it as internet shorts. These short films not only would be seen on a computer, but were also made to be seen on cell phones, such as the iPhone. That’s why they are short, attention grabbing and include colorful contrast. Also, they wanted it to have a childlike feel to it and place emphasis on its low budget so, they stylized it with cheap materials, such as paper.

To watch the film shorts CLICK HERE.

Quality entertainment from Isabella Rossellini. This series of short films on the sex lives of insects premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Fesitval, and not only did Rossellini star in these films, but she also conceptualized, wrote, and co-directed them. Click here to watch!

This one I believe was simply video of him discussing cell phones and someone added the iPhone music and graphics.

And just for kicks, here is a scene from Blue Velvet:

Ryan

La scorsa domenica, dopo soli 28 anni di taboo, RaiSat Extra ha proiettato il Pap'Occhio, film di Renzo Arbore da sempre accusato di vilipendio alla religione, e per questo motivo mai mandato in onda nemmeno dalla stessa Rai che lo produsse. Un film con un cast eccezionale, formato perlopiù dai vecchi grandi collaboratori di Arbore, ma non solo. Tanto che lo stesso showman si chiese 'chissà quanto mi sarebbe costato girarlo qualche anno dopo, con Benigni premio Oscar, Isabella Rossellini all'apice del successo e Martin Scorsese regista tra i più famosi al mondo'.

«Era un film sovversivo perché nessuno prima aveva mai fatto un film sul papa» dichiara Carlo Moretti di Repubblica, «Dopo un paio d'anni cadde l'accusa di vilipendio perché a Roma, dove il film era uscito, un PM disse chiaramente che non c'era nessuna offesa alla religione nel film. Ciò nonostante, un po' come una spada di Damocle, rimase il pericolo che qualcun altro potesse denunciare il film, che rimase quindi un po' clandestino, proiettato giusto nei cinema d'essai.»

Vedremo con Angeli e demoni se la situazione censura-religione sarà un po' cambiata.

Fonte: Repubblica.it

Maybe not as popular as Cassandra's, or at least not yet, but a lot better in my opinion. Kris shows us that humor and sex can go a long way towards engaging regular folks on otherwise serious issues, such as peak oil and global warming. It certainly worked with me. I watched every single one of Kris's videos.

In the same category of smart, sexy, playful green shorts, I need to mention Isabella's Green Porno series. It is no coincidence, and another validation of the power of sex to sell, that the top post on this blog is the one with 'Green Porno' in its title. 10,457 views in three months, not bad.

If you haven't already watched the Green Porno video collection courtesy of Sundance, please do. Starring and Directed by the amazing Isabella Rosselinni, the collection of videos gives you an artistic and quite beautiful look at the sex lives of various insects and bugs. Using seemingly simple prop design and basic special effects, Rosselinni recreates the mating rituals of snails, bees, spiders, earthworms, flies, dragonflies and the praying mantis. I can't stop watching this, but you'll have to make your own assessment. My favorite is the snail video. I also think the bee death scene is quite beautiful...you'll see.

Watch them here.

Μπορείς να δεις όλη τη σειρά στο site του Funny or die.

Cape May's favorite Hollywood actor and screenwriter, Stinson has selected these classics to bring to the big screen with lively discussion to follow. The program will run five consecutive Saturdays beginning May 31 and ending June 28, all at Cape May Elementary on Lafayette Street. The films begin at 7:00 p.m. For more information, contact the Film Society at 609-884-6700.

Stinson says, "These are great films that went unnoticed or in some cases have been forgotten. The reason might be that they were small films or difficult to categorize, but these movies have reputations that only get stronger over time. None of them fit a particular stereotypical mold, and people who have seen them think of them as instant classics."

"We look forward to extending this type of programming out in the community," says Annie Mullock, Events Director for the Film Society. "That's why we're hosting this program at the elementary school-it's at the heart of this community, and we're honored that they invited us. And with JC Stinson as your host, you know that viewing these films will be both entertaining and informative."

Here are the films:

May 31-Touch of Evil: This mystery is considered to be one of the great movies of Orson Welles, who both directed and starred in it with Janet Leigh and Charlton Heston.

June 7-State & Main: David Mamet's seventh feature centers on the havoc wrought on the inhabitants of a small town when a Hollywood film swoops in. Stars William Macy, Alec Baldwin, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

June 14-Sounder: Martin Ritt's big-screen adaptation of William H. Armstrong's Newberry Award winning novel, Sounder stars Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, and Kevin Hooks. Sounder was nominated for a variety of Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

June 21-The Boxer: Released after his 14-year prison sentence for IRA activities, 32-year-old Danny Flynn (Daniel Day-Lewis) returns to his old neighborhood and sees former-flame Maggie (Emily Watson), who has an unhappy marriage and now raises her son alone while her husband is in prison.

June 28-Big Night: Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and Secondo (Stanley Tucci) have journeyed from Italy to New Jersey in the mid-1950s, determined to make a killing with an authentic Italian restaurant. Preparations for a big night hosting bandleader Louis Prima present behind-the-scenes family comedy spiked with high drama. Highlighted by a strong supporting cast of Minnie Driver, Isabella Rossellini, and Allison Janney.

The Cape May Film Society hosts the Cape May Film Festival, which is New Jersey's premiere film festival dedicated to the support and presentation of creative, challenging, groundbreaking, film/video works by New Jersey filmmakers. The Society is also the region's leading educational and cultural resource for youth and adult learners interested in all facets of the cinematic experience. For tickets to this program, contact the Film Festival office at 609-884-6700 or visit them online at www.njstatefilmfestival.com.

As to the actual purpose, to what end? I have no idea, but I lol'd so hard watching them. She turns some typical documentary voice-over lines into drama, and dare I say with a certain 'passion'. Too funny.

The absurdity of what you are seeing and the 1337 creativity make it the most engaging thing I've watched in a long time. Did I mention funny.

Ze Frank summed it up well when he said, "Isabella Rosellini is a genius".

NSFW ? - Do not watch if offended by a male fly (portrayed by Rossellini) screaming "My penis will break off!"

[Teco Apple me fez fazer isso]

I was planning on posting a Summer movie guide for everyone last week... but it's taking me longer to compile than I thought.  So bookmark your browsers and make sure you come back on Friday for THE definitive Summer movie guide.  Great I've gone from Mr. Rogers to a shill for my own website.  I'm just awful.

This will make me so happy if it comes to pass (as long as it's better than that (2nd movie bonus disc) Wake Up, Ron Burgundy:

Anchorman 2

The popobawa is scary enough being a bat-winged, one-eyed, flying ogre. If you add on the idea that he also breaks into mens houses and sodomizes them... well now you have one scary summabitch:

7 Weirdest Mythological Creatures

Now I enjoy a frosty PBR just like the next guy... assuming the next guy isn't this guy... who REALLY likes his Pabst:

PBR Can Coffin

While they don't review my personal favorite... the no-name brand kind you can buy in bulk for 49 cents a burrito... this is a good reference point for those of you looking for a better drunken food choice:

Microwave burrito reviews

This is just too interesting to not mention.  The CIA has put one of it's old handbooks online, it's written by a guy at the "Center for the Study of Intelligence."  If you're bored you can dip in just about anywhere in the book and find some cool stuff:

The Psychology of Intelligence

I can't explain why when Family Guy focuses on the odd mundane behaviors of human beings it becomes the funniest thing ever... it just does:

I love the logic used, "you have 2 lungs, you should smoke 2 cigarettes." That's the kind of thinking that has gotten America where it is today. A nation of asthmatic, obese people with leathery skin and allergies:

Old-timey smoking accessories no one should own

This list should be called... 8 lame superheroes and 2 awesome ones. William Katt... the Greatest American Hero... hello? It's in the title... "Greatest." And Captain Planet? Sure he looked a little like the Aquafresh guy... but he's gonna take pollution down to zero!:

10 Lamest Superheroes

"This is horrible! I'll just stand here and watch that person die. Sure, I could help, and I am a priest... but oh... I have to go give a sermon on helping those in need five minutes from now... there's just no time!" ... and other reasons humanity is doomed:

6 Depressing Psychology experiments

I have always had a little crush on Isabella Rossellini, so imagine my joy when I heard she did a porn film.  Imagine my confusion when I was told it was a, "green" porn film.  Imagine my disappointment when I found she was dressed as bugs:

Isabella Rossellini's Green Porn

Here's one for people who are addicted to Lost like me... this fan has a theory (as we all do) but he has carefully written his out and I have to some of his ideas seem to be pretty spot on and make a lot of sense:

Time Loop Theory

GREEN PORNO

Rossellini also sat down with CNN to share some her views on the shorts as well as on bugs.

Don't miss out on the snail one. Please feel free to leave me your comments, I would love to know if anyone else is almost speechless, as well as educated on these creatures.

Directed by David Lynch

Starring Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern

Today I was reading about a man who designed his coffin to look like a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer can, and naturally, I though of Blue Velvet. Widely claimed to be Lynch's best film, Velvet was also one of his more controversial given his on-screen treatment of Isabella Rossellini and the sadistic nature of Hopper's character Frank Booth. What came from the film was a genre-bending take on the psychological thriller and one of the most memorable villains to ever utter the words, "Heineken? Fuck that shit!" You know the rest.

The film is largely is based on a song (Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet), a feeling (the film's time period), and an image, namely captured in the film's opening sequence, when young college student, Jeffrey Beaumont, discovers a severed human ear in a vacant lot. The ear, represents a hole into another world, in this case, the underworld. A world that sucks Beaumont in with its dark temptations of violence and sex.

Befriending the sheriff's daughter, Beaumont starts to investigate the case, which leads him to the Slow Club, where he encounters lounge singer Dorothy Vallens. Jeffrey finds her apartment, sneaks in while he thinks she's at the club, only to be caught by her...and fellated at knifepoint! Enter jealous sadomaschist Frank Booth and Jeffrey is shoved into a closet and forced to watch Vallens get violently ravaged. Fascinated, Jeffrey follows Frank and is introduced to a seedy world of drugs and violent crime.

Hopper completely commits himself to his role as Frank and the character shines in horrific splendor because of it. Some of the most insane lines you'll ever hear a human being utter come out of Frank Booth's mouth and it'll leave you wide-eyed and 100% entertained. Arguably his best role.

Scenes to note are the symbolic editing during the rape scene, cutting back and forth from fire and layered alien sound, and Booth's amyl trip in the car, best depiction of drug-induced psychosis I've ever seen. Next to A Straight Story, Dune, or the Elephant Man, this is probably Lynch's most accessible film for the mainstream audience, but it still has those elements of his personality pervasively through and through that earned him the nickname, "Jimmy Stewart from Mars."

Other Notable Films by this Director: Eraserhead (1977), Lost Highway (1997), Mulholland Drive (2001)

The Sundance Channel and Isabella Rossellini have made a short series called "Green Porno." The website promises "Live Nudes" just like any other porn site, but the twist, nude bugs?

Upon a more complete investigation one realizes that this isn't a kinky porn, but an informational piece about how bugs reproduce in our world. This piece is perfect for you if you've ever wondered how an Earthworm, Snail, Fly, Spider, Firefly, Bee, Mantis, or Dragonfly reproduce.

Like many other "independent" pieces you must expect some of the unexpected; and while this is an educational and informative piece the language isn't really meant for your 4-year-old, or for the office for that matter.

I think it will be interesting to see the everyone's reactions to such an off-kilter piece, especially one with such a graphic title. Porn in general, is usually seen as a dirty word, and Porno is usually seen as the videos you don't want your kid to see.

I give this project two thumbs up though, and I hope that the world can learn to embrace the fact that bugs and sex are all around us all the time. :)

Well, the 8 short video series is finally out:

Click here to view the whole series.