Vancouver's Winter Olympic Mascots, look like they just came out of the world of Hello Kitty

Today was the unveiling of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic mascots. Featured on just about every local newspaper in town, the simplistic and cartoony characters were no doubt a hot topic of discussion for those following the games. Is this what will be representing Vancouver?

After a call for artists to submit proposals -- in which 177 artists responded to the call -- Meomi Design was selected. Quatchi, Miga, and Sumi the Aboriginal-inspired characters designed by a local artist Vicky Wong of Meomi Design, look like they could be mistaken for something found at a toy store in Chinatown, or Asian stationary shop like Sanrio. They aren't exactly unique. In what is supposed to be characters based on First Nations' legends, these characters don't resemble anything aboriginal. The art style is distinctly Asian and looks as if it could be quickly done with a vector program like Adobe Illustrator or Flash.

The cute designs appeal to all children, and no doubt will make for great merchandise. But in terms of representing Vancouver, that is debatable. The artistic style commonly thought of as being uniquely Asian, reflects Vancouver's large Asian population, a demographic which continues to grow as we approach the Olympic games itself. These designs appeal to the Asian market. Yet they miss the boat in terms of conveying Aboriginal characters. The characters are neither memorable or unique, and could blend in with any cutesy design in stores. The style itself could have been pushed to take on some characteristics seen in aboriginal art. That would have been better artistically.

If it wasn't for the Olympic Logo slapped on the characters, would you be able to tell these creatures are from aboriginal legends? Probably not.

Movies: The Mist would make a good video game, not so much No Country For Old Men

OMG!? What's in the fog?

I'm a sucker for strange creatures, and apocalyptic storylines , and compared to the slow, quiet No Country For Old Men, I had more fun watching The Mist. Not to say that I didn't enjoy the Coen Bros. movie, it certainly had it's "moments", but it wasn't what the commercial advertisements had made it out to be...

Sure there was suspense, but it wasn't enough to keep me at the edge of my seat. Instead, I was falling back into trying not to fall asleep. I'm kind of surprised it's being hailed the way it is by critics. Yes, technically it seems like perfection, the editing, the characters and their dialogue are great and exactly what the Coen's wanted, showing off their many years of film-making experience, but it seems overrated to me. This movie in a way reminds me of Death Proof Tarantino's little film in which he goes nuts with characters talking. I actually liked Death Proof, and I think it was an affective build up to the action that followed, but with No Country For Old Men, it was boring excessive at times, especially when the film came to an abrupt end... an ending that leaves a "WTF?" with the audience as the credits pop on screen.

There's a lot that I like about the film. The humor, the characters, and over all storyline, but there's a lot that I think could have been sped up. It wasn't as "exhilarating" as the critics had made it out to be, and for that I'm disappointed.

The Mist on the other hand was surprisingly good. I had never read the book, and never really planned on seeing the film until I realized I could sneak into it. And it was great! Not just because it was free. I love the whole idea of it. Being trapped in a grocery store surrounded by mist with total strangers, who eventually have mental breakdowns. Oh the human condition how fragile it is when placed in a series of devastating circumstances. It's awesome. It's believable, and that crazy religious bitch was great! What a way to get the audience in to it. I love the creature designs too. Those spiders, so good!

I think coming from one film to another with high expectations could be a bad thing. Not just any movie but a creature movie to Coen movie... and that definitely requires a different mindset. Then again, it'd be unfair to compare both movies since they are completely different. But in terms of being entertained, The Mist certainly did it.

Watch these movies! Even if you sneak in to it! Maybe if I watch No Country again, I might learn to fully appreciate the filmmakers intentions...

Gotta love that psychos haircut. Classic.